THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTURIST 
[OCTOfiER I, 18911 
430 
those of an indolent tnrn of mind, are pressed 
onward in the ceaseless hum. Commercial trans- 
actions are entered into and accepted now, thousands 
of miles apart, with as much promptness and celerity 
as they were between districts not tons of^ miles 
apart, only some few years npo. Opposition in 
trade, rivalry in production, and facility of despatch 
have iudeed'quicltenod the (/runs Aoiiic, and wealth 
and affluonco have consequently been the outcome. 
The “ (food old times” about whiob we have hoard 
so much have given place to hotter; luxury and 
social comforts have increased to a degree, and to 
such an universality, as furnish the moat convincing 
and eloquent proofs of the nrogressive developments 
of mental endowments. Like Voltaire, we are thank- 
ful that we have the good fortune to live in this age, 
independent!}- of the consideration that it is better to 
be still alive than to have lived. As regards the 
progress of hortionltnro. there is a marked change, 
and wo are in a position to say, that each year will 
see its progress by rapid strides, norticultiu'e is 
wealth the wide, wide, world over. It is not a treasure 
hid under a bushel, but gives abundant riches, and 
there is still some more to follow. Wealth has 
grown, so has hortioniture. Rvery cottager has his 
hit of garden wherein ho grows Iiis herbs for his 
aoTips, and his vegetables for tlie table. It is ono 
of the “ good things ” of this life which a good (lod 
has given to the use, joy, and bonelit of man. The 
proper croping of a garden, with little expense, 
will supply a whole honsehold, of ail classes and 
of every grade. Ilorticultnro is enlisting into her 
army Innidreds of volunteers ever-y year. Her 
dominions being large, with such a divorsitv of sub- 
jects, that persens of every grade, white or hhick, is 
induced to take a gre.'iter or a Ic.sscr interest, in a 
less or greater nmnber of tlioso sulijcets. Time is 
even now. when certain classes of the people will not 
part with a few rnpocs, two or three at most, to hny 
a tew vegetable seeds to crop a two-acre plot of good 
land, and command a good selection of choice vege- 
tables, they are afraid they might overrun thciiuiclvos, 
and incur an oxponditnre beyond the annual income 
of their means. A gentleman with an income say 
£l.'',(l per amimn and npwariis might have a good 
garden and enjoy the luxuries of plant life. If even 
tliey take tlie responsibility of doing the light labour, 
it is wonderful what an amount of gay flowers, and 
tempting fruit, and rich vagotahlos they could com- 
mand, without incurring an awful large expense, than 
they can well afford. As to the quality of vcgetable.s 
they are no better now than in the time of our I'evo- 
fathers. What we excel in. in our own days, is that 
we draw largely from our own lesourcea, and provide 
a longer season of fruits, vegelahles, and llowers. 
The doraaiid for Nature's productions are groat, arid 
conseqnentiy, asin other biaiicheB of human industry, 
we liave done all that is possible to ho equal to the 
oocasiotr. Our gardens and onr fields have been en- 
riched by collections of fruits, vegetables, and flowers 
from every region of tlio known earth. Hybridists 
and CTOss-hroeders have been at work to improve the 
form and alter tlie cliaractor of everything likely 
to take the market. If there is an introduction of 
anything now, that is likely to weigh well, there 
is a rush for that one tl\iug. and the consequence 
has been it has overrun the market, the boards have 
been overstoeUod, and tlie whole thing has almost 
been a smash up. U it were desirable to prolong 
tlie season of anything that the garden is capable 
of producing, what pains, what attention, is mani- 
fested luul in course of time, probably after a series 
of' reproductions tho article is forthcoming, If 
anything new is imported of an sliaost abiiornial 
kind, if it were of a little more than ordinary pro- 
iiiiiience, M hich if it likely to take the market, tlio 
rapidity with which it is propagated wotuci startle 
and aiirpviae a practitioner living in the first quarter 
of this present century, it would have cansed 
to scratch their heads with aatonishmeiiL. 'lo be 
backward witli anything now in way ofhoiticul- 
turo is a thing of the past ; niucii could be said as 
regards the things of the past, how they were done, 
and how they look now, but I will keep off that 
Biibject at present j at any rate stdliee it for me to 
Bay we can laud past operations. Business in horti- 
cultural matters is like business in other matters, it 
gives quite a different tone in these days. There is no 
apathy, no rest during business hours, no hoping, 
nodreaming, no sleeping; but all is enthusiasm, in- 
genuity, and push, u.i greatly different in character os 
the railway is to tho unoomfovtable. clattering, noisy 
old Btojijo coach. Horticulturists of the right nature 
arc animated by the same feelings, and are carried 
along in the on word march of progress. As 
Bhakespearo savH “all the world’s a stage.” 
and each man in his turn plays some parti- 
cular part,” and the horticulturist performs his own 
part well. First of all let ua see what has been done 
and is being done in landscape gardening— we might 
ask where does it begin? ana where does it end ? All 
depends upon the scenery at disposal— the site— the 
/limatA— and tho character of the mansion. With the 
material placed at our commands witliin the last 
quarter of a century, it would he a pity indeed if w’e 
could not leave some very distinct exainploa of high 
taste, as an heirloom to posterity. We nave a grand 
and wonderful variety of form and colour in our 
nurseries to a.ssist us in laying out and clothing our 
landscapes with all that is beautiful and intorestnig in 
tree life. This leaf-growing country wliich is riglitl v 
named, which is fanned by gentle and “spicy breezes'* 
which br^the f>nt spicy odours, and embalm the air 
with delightful perfunieH, how the estates of this colony 
could bo made effective and intorestiug, as well as 
producing good returns. What is more advantageous 
to the tea and coffee sliruhs tlian good wind-belts, 
asa screen against rough and disastrous winds? ih'oes 
of a coniferous nature will produce a good effect 
wherever placed. Onr forefathers had a limited 
caULlogne to select from, but now there is no end to 
the spocics prcsouLiul to us. ^I’hoy are almost com- 
pel lea to hold hal’d and fast by a natural size, for the 
numbers of formal evergreen tree and hush life were 
very limited. We are compelled now, out of tlie 
collections of trees and shnibs found in onv unrserieK, 
to put on as fascinating appearance in our parks, 
pleasure grounds, and public gardens, iianiculiuiv 
about tlio foTOgrouiid where the highoatart is ceutrud, 
so as to roach a high degree. We can well imagine 
Itnight, Price, and (-rilnin, and others of the Haiuo 
school, crying aloud for tho picturesque and tlie 
things natural iii themselvos. If they had lived in 
our own times, it Is highly probable that the quantity 
of materials presfiitod for landscape work of all kinds, 
and tho variety of form and feature which theso 
materials assume, would have brought a consider- 
able change in thoir views. Their great aim was to 
create a landscape about which a painter w’ould got 
into an ccstacy. 
In the first place, what is most beautiful in nature 
is not always canablo of being most rojiresonted, most 
advantageously by painting; the instaiico of an exten- 
sive prospoct, tho_ most effecting sight the eye can 
bring bo*ore us, is quite conclusive. I do not know 
anything tiiat doos, and naturally should, so strongly 
effect the mind as tlie sudden ininsition, from such a 
portion of space as cormnouly have in our minds, to 
RUch a view as the habitable globe as maybe exhibited 
iTi tho case of some extensive prospects. liut in the ext- 
placc, tlio beautiea of nature itself, and which pannt 
ing can exhibit, are many, and most of them prob- 
ably of a sort which have nothing to do wdth the 
pui^oi^s of habitation, and are even wholly incon- 
fiistent with them. A scene of a cavern with banditti 
Bitting j‘y iti tho favourite subject of Salvator 
-Kosa; but are we therefore to live in caves, or en- 
courage tho neighbourhood of banditti ’—Gains- 
borough 8 country girl is a more picturesque object 
than a child neatly dressed in a white frock; hut is 
that a reason why our children are to go in rags’ 
iniR 18 just the proposition which some ni.aiatain in 
Uio contrast which they exhibit of the same place, 
drei^ed in the modern style, and left as he thinks it 
ought to be. Wc are not living in caves, and rocks, and 
dens of the earth; hut in God’s beautiful universe. 
Jo me there isnothing more appalling than tho walls, 
fountain basins, clipped trees, and long canals asin 
Versailles, not only becaneo they utterly fail to 
afttisjfy in tiioitiselves, but inasuinch tiJi they are evei; 
