PREFACE.
subject but in separate parts, tbe mind of tbe reader can never fully comprehend any
subject as a whole.
Having thus given our reasons for the arrangement adopted in this work, we shall
next state the principles by whicli wc have been guided in carrying that arrangement
into execution. Passing over the Historical and Statistical Parts of the work, in the
former of which wc have chiefly related facts in Chronological Order, and in the latter
in the order of aflinity, we shall confine our statement to the Science of Gardening and
to the A rt and Practice of Gardening in Britain, as treated of in Parts II. and III.
Now, in the composition of every treatise embracing a great variety of opinions and
practices, there ai*e two modes of proceeding ; viz. that of generalising the opinions
and practices of others, and giving the result as those of the author ; and that of laying
before the reader the opinions and practices of otliers, and leaving him cither to generalise
on them for himself, or to particularise them, and to adopt such of them as may
appear to him most suitable to his individual case. The latter method we have adopted,
as being, in our opinion, decidedly the best. I f we had preferred the former mode,
our work must necessarily have exhibited only our own opinions ; whereas, by adopting
the latter mode, our work exhibits all the most valuable opinions and practices on every
subject which it treats of, which have hitherto been published, more particularly in
Britain. The young reader is thus induced to think for himself, and to refer his
opinions and practices to fundamental principles ; while the experienced practitioner
may adopt the opinions and practices of those authors in whom he has most faith.
A little reflection will, we think, convince every unprejudiced mind, that this method
of compilation is calculated to be the most useful in all general works on the practical
arts 5 and that it is more especially so in the arts of gardening find agriculture will be
a t once allowed, when it is considered how much the practice of these arts must vary
with variations of climate, soil, and other geographical circumstances. How, for
example, on any other plan than that which we have adopted, could wc have treated of
the culture of every plant, so as to have rendered our Ti-eatisc alike suitable for England
and Scotland : or how could wc so easily have enabled the reader, Avho inhabits neither
England nor Scotland, to deduce from the practices of those two countries a practice
suitable to bis own countiy ; say, for example, North America ?
Unless the distinctions between a systematic Encyclopædia and a Dictionary, and
between the two modes of executing the former just described, be clearly understood, the
great advantages which our Encyclopædia of Gardening possesses over all other general
works on the same subject, which have preceded it, cannot be duly appreciated.
PREFACE TO THE PRESENT//]E]DITION.
J . C. L.
Bayswater, Oct. 28. 1834.
I n s u bm ittin g to th e p u b lic a n e n tir e ly n ew e d itio n o f th is w o rk , th e e d i to r h a s
th o u g h t i t a d v is a b le to g iv e a s h o r t a c c o u n t o f th e a lte r a tio n s sh e h a s v e n tu re d to m a k e .
The leading principle which she has adopted for her guide, has been to make the
work as nearly as she possibly could what she believes her late husband would have
made it had he lived to the present time.
The general arrangement remains the same, as the experience of nearly twenty years
has proved the justness of the Author’s sentiments on this subject, whicli he stated in the
Preface (given in pages v. and vi.), which he prefixed to the third edition of the work.
The execution o f the work has been conducted on the same principles as those which
guided Mr. Loudon himself; viz. those of inducing the young gardener to think for
himself, and giving the man of experience a choice of practices. “ All knowledge,”
observes Mr. Loudon in the edition of “ to be really useful, must be gained by
experience; and the next best thing to gaining this experience from personal practice, is
to observe and reflect on the practices of others.”
P a r t I., containing The History o f Gardening, has been carefully revised, and
brought down to the present time.
P.1RT II., containing The Science o f Gardening, has been completely rewritten; and
the editor has to rctm-n thanks to Dr. Lindlcy for permission to make extracts from
his valuable works on Vegetable Physiology, &c., particularly from the new edition of
his Introduction to Botany. She likewise offers her most sincere thanks for the very
valuable assistance she has received in geology, from Pi-ofessor Ansted ; and in chemistry,
from Professor S o lly ; these gentlemen having read over and corrected the articles on
their respective subjects. The article on Entomology in this part has been entirely
rewritten by J . 0 . Westwood, Esq.
P a r t III., on Gardening as an A r t and as practised in Britain, has received several
valuable additions from Mi-. Thompson, fruit gardener to the Horticultural Society of
London, who has looked over and revised the lists of fruits and vegetables. Mrs. Loudon
has also been very greatly indebted to Mr. Marnock, superintendent of the Royal Botanic
Garden in tlie Regent’s Park, for the plan and description of that g a rd en ; to Mr.
Ogle, gardener to the E a ii of Abergavenny at Eridge Castle, for his drawings and
description of a fruit-room, his mode of cultivating pines, and many hints and corrections
; to Mr. Francis Rauch (many years assistant to Mr. Loudon), for much valuable
assistance, particularly in the catalogue of coniferous trees, and in the tables containing
lists of various kinds of flowering plants ; and to Mr. David Wooster, for the very great
care and attention he has bestowed in assisting in the work in general, and particulai-ly
in the coiTection of the proof sheets.
The subject of landscape-gardening has been considerably enlarged ; numerous woodcuts
have been added ; and, in short, no pains have been spared to render this edition
as perfect as possible.
J . W. L.
Bayswater, March 12. 1850.