THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 14, 1858. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
I Day 
I of 
M’nth 
Day 
of 
Week, 
Weather near London in 1857. 
-- 
— 
DECEMBER 14—20, 1858. 
Barometer. 
Thermom. 
Wind. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R.andS. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
after Sun 
Day of 
Year. 
14 
To 
Epacvis. 
30.362—30.140 
52—40 
S.W. 
_ 
laf 8 
49 af 3 
11 af 0 
9 
5 7 
348 
15 
W 
Ember Week. 
30.123—30.071 
50—45 
s.w. 
— 
2 8 
49 3 
27 1 
10 
4 38 
349 
1G 
Tir 
Erica vestitas. 
30.0 7S—30.034 
54—45 
S.W. 
.10 
3 8 
49 3 
48 2 
11 
4 9 
350 
17 
F 
Erica Patersonii. 
30.131—30.089 
57—48 
S. 
.04 
4 8 
49 3 
14 4 
12 
3 40 
351 
352 
18 
S 
Erica coccinea. 
30.140—29.941 
54—30 
s.w. 
.04 
4 8 
49 3 
44 5 
13 
3 10 
19 
Son 
4 Sunday in Advent. 
30.182—30.042 
48—23 
s.w. 
— 
5 8 
50 3 
11 7 
14 • 
2 41 
353 
20 
M 
Erica Exsurgens. 
29.989—29.786 
50—40 
S.AV. 
.07 
6 8 
50 3 
rises. 
© 
2 11 
354 
Mf.teohoi.ooy of the Wf.f.k.—A t Chiswick, from observations during the 
last thirty-one years, the average highest and lowest ! 
temperatures of these days are 42 .1° and 30.6°, respectively. The greatest heat, 60°, occurred on the 19th, iu 1313 ; and the lowest cold, 4°, 
on the 14th, in 1843. During the period 100 days were fine, and on 9G rain fell. 
Britain is justly proud of her gardening and her gar¬ 
deners. Go where you will, nowhere on the face of the 
earth is the art practised so perfectly, and encouraged 
so munificently, and nowhere, as a profession, is it more 
respectably represented. The better class of practical 
gardeners are men of good education, and high attain¬ 
ments ; they command a respectable position in society, 
and the social ladder is free to them. Lancelot Brown, 
who began life as a kitchen gardener to a gentleman near 
Woodstock, lived to amass a princely fortune by his 
abilities and industry, and in his old age to fill the office 
of High Sheriff of Huntingdon and Cambridge. In our 
own day, Sir Joseph Paxton, a practical gardener, sits as 
a senator for the administration of his country’s affairs; 
and we could point to many other instances where the 
British gardener attains, not only to eminence in his 
profession, but to a high position in society. Such men 
are generally treated and spoken of with becoming 
respect; and particularly so after a long life spent in 
usefulness to others and honour to themselves. Un¬ 
fortunately, however, there are men in the world whose 
feelings seem steeled to the appreciation of all merit 
or worth; and the merit or worth of those they sneeringly 
call “ practical gardeners ” is most offensive to them, and 
more to be hidden or deprecated, than to be commended 
and esteemed. Fortunately, such unhappy and miserable 
creatures are few ; but our garden journalism is not free 
from them. 
We had always thought, and the thousands who read 
this, doubtless, thought so too, that Mr. John Smith, 
the old and respected Curator of the Boyal Botanic 
Garden, at Kew, was one of those men who, by his 
personal worth and high professional attainments, was 
far beyond the shaft of the malevolent and the envious. 
For a period of thirty-eight years he has held a credit¬ 
able position in Kew Gardens, and for eighteen years 
of that period he has been their Curator. What Mr. 
Smith has done, all the world knows, and all the world 
has given him credit for it. But within the last week, 
a number of respectable practical gardeners have called 
our attention to a paragraph which appeared in a notice 
of the Boyal Botanic Gardens, at Kew, published in the 
Gardeners' Chronicle, which, if not written by the 
Editor, goes forth to the world with his imprimatur, 
and reflects very much on the reputation of Mr. Smith. 
As public journalists, we feel ourselves called upon to 
denounce such an attempt, though an unsuccessful one, 
upon the professional character of such a man, and we 
No. 533. Yoi. XXI. 
know that we shall be supported in doing so by the whole 
J gardening community. The paragraph referred to is 
as follows:— 
“ In the cultivation of all this grand establishment, which we 
believe contains a greater extent of glass roofs than any other in 
the world, there is but one point open to reasonable criticism. 
We mean the condition of the Orchids. Of these plants very 
: large quantities have been presented to the Garden from time to 
time; but the Curator, who is responsible for their management, 
\ has never known how to treat them. The consequence has been, 
! that while these plants have been the pride of other places, at 
Kew they have formed a mere hospital where deaths were more 
j frequent than recoveries, and healthy patients few. At this 
moment, although their number is still considerable, their condition 
j is as unsatisfactory as ever. We know that this is a subject of 
extreme vexation to the Director, who has left no effort untried, 
and with the sanction of the Board spared-no expense, to put an 
} end to such an unsatisfactory state of things, by furnishing the 
| Curator with the best assistance that can be procured. A ‘prac¬ 
tical gardener,’ bringing with him the highest character for skill, 
and recommended by some of the best Orchid growers in England, 
was put in uncontrolled charge of the department which includes 
tliis collection some two years ago ; but, although he performed 
some of his duties satisfactorily, it has been found necessary 
to remove him, the collection of Orchids having become worse 
than ever under his management. At promt, the Orchids are 
in charge of Mr, John Keele, well known as a successful Orchid 
gardener with Mr. Butler, of Woolwich, and the plants are, un¬ 
doubtedly, looking better than they did. But he has been too 
short a time in employment at Kew for any fixed opinion to bo 
yet formed of his skill in this line. Meanwhile, we may remark, 
that we believe one radical fault has been a want of intelligent 
ventilation, so as to secure a free circulation of air. In fact, the 
plants have been parboiled, if the word may be admitted : the 
temperate and tropical species have been mixed together, and no 
period of rest has been allowed to any. Such management has, 
of course, borne the bitter fruit provided for it by nature.” 
Now, the attempt at disparagement is contained in the 
assertion, “ that the Curator who is responsible for their 
management has never known how to treat them.” 
Nobody who knows Mr. Smith believes that statement, 
but some who do not know him may believe it. It is 
wonderful to see the pains that have been taken to get 
up this charge of incompeteney, and the aceesssories 
that have been pressed in to support it. "VYe have, first 
of all, the gloomy and sad picture of “ a mere hospital, 
where deaths were more frequent than recoveries, and 
healthy patients few.” Then, “ the extreme vexation to 
the Director,” and the Curator furnished with “ the best 
assistance that can be procured.” How, with such a 
charnel-house of vegetable remains before his eyes, and 
with such valuable assistance at command, could Mr. 
Smith rest easy ! 
It may not be generally known, that in the Boyal 
Botanic Garden there is a foreman for every department, 
responsible for the collection of which he has the charge, 
