: i r ■
tlicrc the climate may be considered highly favourable to the growth of kitchen crops,
most kernel fruits of Europe, and florist’s flowers ; but a warmer and drier climate is
required for the richer stonc-truits, and most of thoso of tho ton-id zone.
959. 'The most suitable climate fo r timber trees, when durability is an object, i.s a dry
and rather elevated region. The resinous tribe produces the best timber in cold mountainous
regions in every part of the globe. The oak, the elm, the beech, and sonic other
deciduous timber trees, delight in strong soils aud moderate temperatures, such as skirt
the bottoms of mountains. In general, no species of timber is found to be durable which
luis been in-oduccd in low, moist, warm situations.
960. Climates highly favourable fo r the productions o f gardening are often unfavourable
to the progress o f the art. In Persia and some parts of America, where the lincst peaches
arc produced, the art of grafting is unknown or not practised ; and in general, iu the
hot countries, where melons, gourds, and other rapid-groiving annuals so readily jiroduce
their fniit, tho culture of culinary leaves aud legumes is neglected. In the West India
islands aud great part of America, the gourd serves the purposes o fth e cabbage, tiirnij),
lettuce, and spinach; and constitutes, with garlic, onions, and yams, tho principal
culinary crops, Chardin, after enumerating the natural products of Persia, says, “ we
are not to conclude from this that they liavc the finest gardens in tho world : on tho
contrary, by a vciy general rule, there, where nature has been most abundant and liberal
iu her productions, art is proportionably rude and unknown; for nature lias gardened
so well, tliat scarcely anything is left for art.”
961. Climates and soils comparatively unfavourable fo r fru its and plants ai'e naturally
conducive to skill in gardening. A very vaiiablc aud unsettled climate, Neill observes
(Gen. Report o f Scotland, ch. ix.), tends to call into action aU the powers of the mind,
and to produce habits of increasing attention; and, where a gardener is able to raise
tolerable crops, botb of the more tender fraits and vegetables, in climates and situations
adverse to the production of cither, he has doubtless more real merit in accomplishing
his object, even though the articles should be somewhat inferior in quality, than lie wlio,
in a propitious soil and climate, raises them to tho utmost perfection. Yet the merits of
such a gardener arc often overlooked; and tho master, through ignorance or indilfcrencc,
or a niggardly pcnuriousucss of approbation, receives that as an effort of mechanical
routine, Avhich is due to a rare union of science, skill, and indefatigable attention.
962. The climate and country o f England, Sir W. Temiiie considers as highly favourable
for gardening. “ Perhaps lew countries,” ho says, “ are before us in the number
of our p la n ts ; and I believe none equals us in a variety of fruits which may be justly
called good ; and, from the earliest chcny and strawberry, to the last apples aud pears,
may liirnisli every day of the circling year. For the taste and perfection of what wc
esteem the best, I may truly say, that the French, who have eaten my peaches and grapes
at Shcnc, in no very ill yciu-, have generally concluded that the last arc as good as any
they have eaten in France, on this side Fontainebleau; and the first as good as any they
have eaten in Gascony : I mean, those which come from the stone, and arc properly called
poaches ; not those which arc hard, and are temicd pavics ; for these cannot grow in too
warm a climate, nor ever be good in a cold, and arc better at Madrid than iu Gasceny
itself. Italians have agreed my white figs to be as good as any of that sort in Italy,
^ which is the earlier kind of white fig there ; for, in the latter kind and the blue, we
cannot come near the 'wann climates, no more than in the Frontignac or Muscat grape.
My orange trees arc as large as any I saw when I was young in France, except those of
Fontainebleau; or what I liavc since seen in tlic Low Countries, except some very old
ones of the Prince of Orange’s ; as laden with flowers as can well be ; as full of fruit as
I suffer or desire them ; and as well tasted as arc commonly brought over, except the
best sorts of Seville aud Portugal. And thus much I could not but say in defence of
our climate, which is so much and so generally decried abroad. The truth is, our
climate wants no heat to produce excellent fruits ; and the default of it is only the short
season of our heats and summers, by which many of the latter are left behind and imperfect
with us. Rut all such as are ripe before tho end of August ai'o, for aught I
know, as good with lis as any where else. This makes me esteem the true regions of
gardens in England to be the compass of ten miles about London, where the ineidcntal
warmth of air from the fires and steams of so vast a town, makes fruits, as well as corn,
a great deal forwarder than in Ilampsliire [unless we except the south side ofPortsdown
Hill, avhich is one of tho earliest spots for ripening corn in England] or Wiltshfre,
though more southward by a full degree.”
Sect. II. Influence o f Climate and Manners on Gardening, as an A r to f Design and Taste.
963. Taste in gardening depends jointly on the state o f society and on climate. Since
the introduction of the modem or natural style of gardening into Britain, it has been
a common practice to condemn, indiscriminately, every other taste as unnatural and
tite ‘ft ‘“ ft ft" ’ ?® * '“ “f
tlte eyes with the sight of daecing beaatics ; in ravishing t t a cL's wlih c L e L , ff
patible with tliat languor of rbo?dy , which is attendant on a warm cIl'i^m^cartcei sen nwrla sn incomprospect;
inconsistent with security from wild beasts, and that privacy wliidi schishn'css
or jealousy might dictate. “ The Persians.” Cliardin ob.servc,s, « do £ t , w
so mnch as wc do, bnt content themselves with a bare prosiicct, and brcathiiio' tlL fresh
an , ^ l o r this reason, they set themselves down in some part of the garden a? their firsr
coming 111, and never move from thcir seats till they are L n r o m ta i ^ ? f
» s n r L L S “ i s r
» » » ? » » » Li i L;
an aspect that one wonld scarcely think ft capable o f/’irodneing aiL’^Sling L d L e ? ?
appeals to have been a coUection, in one spot, of all tliose beauties wliicli are ¿ u n d scat’
tcied ab™ 111 general iimiire, in order to adapt them to the nse and cn j.,j™ em o f.iiL
f f T °-^i™ 17®*« was well calculated to attain the cuds in view
bL L d t and immediate coiiiiection with tho hoii.se are necessary and obvioii!
S t i l b L ? ft'’®"’ T“ft ' ‘*"ft’'ft ft'’«l'‘ft'* <■»'• «'« ai tiie sinL
i nt in 1 i f i'ft"®ft ''ft"'®’ ‘ft ■'‘“ "'fr «“ 'fr'raify of shade ; and the walks laid
dLsSiiiidoi t e T f t “ progress ; that walk parallel to and
dose midoi the house was formed mto a raised platfoim or tciTaco, to give elevation
•ind dignity to the lioii,so, to allord the ma.stor a commanding view of tlio garden and to
serve as a coiineeting link between art and comparative iiattire. B t a l e S t e o iffi
O l sqiiaies o p u i f m tho areas, formed by iiitcrsectiiig rows of trees a free cheiibition of
air was faei itatcd ; and the same objSt, as Pliny“ informs iL L S m o iL L d i l L
a y otlici disposition A picturesq“u'ef to'"r fnt™at’u’' ’r al arrang"e“m“efnt tf t“w"o'ln“ld® l iavo strieKamdialtyc dt latha.ei
S ido t a S in te -fftfft-ft °f"ft ft’’ ‘'i-ft *""'Pft®ft® “ ' I*’*’« ®™« roa.?ns wonld
S den -iv? tl » i eliMce of spreading broad-leaved trees; and, to thicken tlicir boughs
01 depiivc them of sndi brandies ,as were too low, or tended to destroy the balaiic? of
„i c isttss’ tthee id’efta Tof "co’o",l®n"e“s’s’;? b ut, agitat“efdt in cascades, fo«uPnPltfaoinfos , oWr jcattse-rd ’icna no, Lite riys uLsemd to the
Lfoii L t a i i T k i ? heat of the atmosphere is moderated in proportion to the evaporation
whidi takes place. In still ponds or basins it has another property, that of rcilcct-
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