VISITS TO NURSERIES. 
99 
We should apologize, however, for this digression ; but really 
there is no approaching this subject of a national collection of 
plants from all parts of the world, without feeling strongly and 
painfully the woeful lack of national tone and taste which there 
is upon this, and one regrets to add, upon almost all subjects 
that have a national bearing. We are by far too much individual¬ 
ized ; “Every one for himself, and God, and God only, for us 
all,” is the universal maxim ; and while it continues to be so, 
public matters cannot be rightly managed. We believe that this 
maxim operates less powerfully in the case of florists than in that 
of any other professional or amateur class ; but even here we 
very strongly suspect that the love, culture, and improvement 
of the flower, do not hinge so much upon the real merits of the 
flower itself, as upon the consideration that it is “my flower.” 
As we said, they have less of this than most classes; therefore 
they may the more easily get rid of it; and then they may assist 
in relieving their compatriots of what is really a dead weight upon 
the operation of their talents, and wiping out a national stain 
which, though we at home see or heed it not, is most palpable to 
foreigners. 
In the royal gardens at Kew, including the pleasure grounds, 
as well as what more immediately forms the botanical garden, 
there is every facility for obtaining one of the finest public gar¬ 
dens in the world, whether for pleasure merely, or for study con¬ 
ducted in the most pleasureable manner. The space is ample, 
admirably situated, finely though gently diversified in surface and 
soil; and thouglf near enough the metropolis for being visited, it 
is sufficiently distant for not becoming a haunt for the mere 
rabble,—and indeed the said rabble will require to pass through 
many stages of amelioration, before they exchange the skittle- 
ground of a pot-house for a garden of plants, whatever may be 
the attractions of the latter to those who are more refined. 
Both pleasure grounds and botanical garden are open to the 
public on Mondays and Thursdays during the season, in addition 
to the opening of the former as a promenade on Sundays. This 
is a great improvement on the old system, under which the col¬ 
lection of plants, certainly the grand attraction of the place, was 
shut on the only day when the grounds were open. This was 
perhaps no great loss to the majority of the Sunday loungers ; 
but having both grounds and garden open for two week-days 
I 
