PREFACE. 
among his canes. Accordingly he fet out one acre of land in the middle of a large piece, wnich 
he ..caufed to be planted with canes at five feet diftance, putting but one to each hill ; thefe grew to 
a very large fize, and when ripe were cut, as alfo an acre from the heft part of the piece in which 
the others were planted : each of them then were boiled feparately to examine their produce, which 
was nearly equal in the weight of fugar ; but where the plants grew Angle, the juice was boiled 
with a ninth part of the fuel which the other required, and he fold tne fugar for fix (hillings per 
hundred weight more than he could get for the former. This fhews what advantages may be ex-' 
peeled, if the poffeffors of lands were careful to make trials. 
The alterations made in the catalogues of trees and plants which are added at the end of the book, 
have been done to prevent fwelling the work to too great a fize, therefore their fpecific differences are 
not inferted at full length ; but as their generical titles are mentioned, and the figures to each fpecies 
denote them according to their refpedfive fpecies referred to in the body of the book, the reader is 
defired to turn to the feveral genera, where under each article, their fpecies with their refpeclive titles 
are inferted at length, as alfo their culture and natural places of growth. The ufe of thefe ca- 
talogues, efpecially to fuch as are not acquainted with the art of gardening, but particularly to 
thofe who fet up for defigners of gardens, may be of great fervice ; for if this part of planting were 
duly attended to, there would not be fo many abfurdities committed, as are now to be found in rnoft: 
of thefe defigns, where we often fee fome of the fmallefl growing fhrubs placed, where the largeft 
trees fhould have been planted. 
In the whole of this performance, the author has principally aimed at rendering the inftrudfions 
given, as clear and intelligible as poffible to the pradfitioners, as well as to thofe who are lefs acquainted 
with the art; in every particular he has obferved all poffible regard to truth, not having advanced any 
thing as fuch, but what he has been fully convinced of by his own experience : he hopes therefore for 
indulgence from the public, for any imperfedlions or omiffions which may appear in the book, fince 
in a work of fo great extent, it cannot be expedited to be abfolutely perfedl, though it is humbly hoped 
there will not be found in it many faults. 
Some errors of the prefs have accidentally crept in, occafioned by the author’s other heceffary 
avocations, which frequently called him into the country during the time it was printing ; but as 
moll of thefe are corrected, and are not belides of themfelves of great importance, he hopes the can- 
did reader will pardon them. 
The Gardeners Ralendar, inferted in mod; of the former editions, is in this omitted, many edi- 
tions of that piece having been printed in octavo ; it is prefumed therefore that few perfons who' 
have any inclination for the innocent diverlion of gardening, are without it ; and as the adding any 
thing to this work would have fwelled it greatly, which the author withes he could have ftill further 
fliortened ; and moreover it having been obferved to him, by many of his friends, that few per- 
fons would chufe to turn over fo large a volume, to find in it the articles they may have in a porta* 
ble one, the omiffion of the Kalendar was thought more advifeable. 
In the laft edition of this work, the author adopted in a great meafure the fyflem of Linnaeus, which 
was the prevailing method of ranging plants then in ufe among botanifts ; but as many of the plants 
which were treated of in the Gardeners Dictionary, were not to be found in any of Linnaeus’s works 
then publifhed, Tournefort’s fyflem was alfo applied to take in fuch as were not fully known to 
Dr. Linnaeus ; but fince that time the learned profeffor having made great additions to his works, 
and thofe additions being generally confulted for the names of plants, the author has now applied 
Linnaeus’s method entirely, except in fuch particulars, where the Dodtor not having had an oppor- 
tunity of feeing the plants growing, they are ranged by him in wrong claffes ; as for inftance, the Ilex 
or Agrifolium is ranged in his fourth clafs, with thofe plants whofe flowers have four ftamina or male 
organs, and four ftigmas or female parts of generation ; whereas thofe plants have male flowers upon 
fome, and female upon other plants. The Laurus Linnaeus has placed in his ninth clafs, with thofe plants 
whofe flowers have nine ftamina or male organs of generation, and one female part ; but thefe plants 
fhould alfo be ranged in his twenty-fecond clafs, for all the fpecies of this genus have male and female 
flowers on different plants. Thefe, with fome other alterations from Linnaeus’s fyflem, have been, 
made in this edition, where the author has given his reafons for fo doing, which he hopes will be ap- 
proved by the public. 
Many plants are likewife omitted in this edition, feveral of them natives of England, hut rarely 
cultivated in our gardens ; as alfo many varieties accidentally ar fling from feeds, as are rnoft of 
thofe with double flowers, which, if enumerated, would have fwelled the book to an immoderate fize 5 
however, moft of thefe varieties are calually mentioned, to inform the reader of their refpedtive difference, 
which the author hopes will be deemed fufficient But as the variety of fruits, as well as of efeu- 
few t 
