184 A FEW OBSERVATIONS ON GARDENERS’ SOCIETIES. 
governed and was not subservient to life. But if you remain sceptical 
upon this point, because you cannot account for the phenomena upon 
chemical principles, 1 should like to know if you have discovered by 
the analysis of your indusium the constituent parts of liber and 
alburnum; if in the farinaceous substance of a seed you have ever 
detected the ligneous consistence of a tree; or, after a seed has been 
deprived of vitality, you have been competent, by any chemical process 
you could devise, to effect one of those interesting changes which took 
place so naturally and yet so wonderfully in every case of healthy 
germination? ‘My time being quite expired, and I suppose your 
patience put to a severe test, I must conclude, and remain, &c. &c. 
Yours truly, Robert Fish. 
A Few Observations on Gardeners’ Societies. — Sir, —- 
In looking over the last numbers of the Horticultural Register, 
I find to my great surprise much valuable space occupied with 
the establishing of gardeners’ societies, which are advocated in very 
strong terms. Many of your readers regret there is no society of the 
kind on the western side of the metropolis; it is so, and I believe it is 
no great loss. But, Sir, I tell you what we have that the writers are not 
aware of, we have the finest market gardens in the world, where vege¬ 
tables are grown to astonish every gentleman’s gardener who is fortu¬ 
nate enough to see them. Young gardeners brought up in gentlemen’s 
gardens know very little about growing good vegetables; and I believe 
I may state, with some truth, less about cropping their ground. 
The evenings are now getting long, and there will be two or three 
hours to spare after work in the nurseries. I would advise those young 
men who may be employed in the different nurseries at the western 
side of the metropolis to take a walk through the market gardens, and 
make observations on what they see going forward there. 
If they are employed at Knight’s, on the King’s Road, it will not be 
far for them to visit the gardens of Mr. Robert Bagiev, on the Fulham 
Road, or Mr. Charles Bagley, at Sands’ End; or if employed at Whit¬ 
ley’s, on the King’s Road, the Messrs. Fitches, of Parsons’ Green, 
might be visited; there they would see such a style of gardening as 
would truly astonish them. Mr. Alexander Dancer’s gardens are close 
at hand, and also Mr. Robert Matyear’s. If at Lee’s, of Hammer¬ 
smith, let them visit the Fulham fields, as they are called, or any of 
the extensive gardens that the western side can boast of, it would do 
more in giving them a proper insight into their business, than if they 
were members of twenty different gardeners’ societies. Young men 
may be accused of apathy in not coming forward to establish societies, 
but where are they to get the money? the greater number of them 
