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products accordingly. All these,^ and other sorts of plants in pots, are also lent out by
the market-florlst, to decorate private or puhlic rooms on extraordinary occasions but
especially for those midnight assemblages called routs. This is the most lucrative part
of the growers business, who generally receives half the value of the plants lent out
though many of them, and generally those of most value, are so injured by the heat as
never to recover, ’
6371. gardens arc devoted to the culture of florists’ or select flowers for the
sale ot tho plants and roots. There are not many exclusively devoted to this branch
except neai- Manchester and the metropolis. Those near Manchester, Paisley and
most other provincial towns, are genorafly on a small scale, and cultivated by men who
have auxdiary resources of livelihood ; but near London there are some extensive concerns
of this sort. This is ono of the most delicate and difficult branches of gardening
and IS only succossfnlly pimsued by such as devote their exclusive attention to it. Thé
great dithcnlty is to preserve fine varieties, and keep them from degenerating or sporting-
many gardeners, excellent propagators and cultivators of hothouse and greenhouse plants'
hnd It a very difficult task to grow a fino auricula or carnation ; and their flowers would
cut t o a poor figure at the florists’ shows, either near London, or in the country.
Much depends on the sod, which requires to be rich and well mellowed by time. It is
thfer.T br-anch of commercial gardenmg as a means of subsistence, since
the purchaseis are not so much the wealthy mercantile class who possess villas or the
independent country gentlemen, in whose gardens fine florists’ flowers are seldom seen
as the tradesman and middling class. The income of these being temporary, that is’
depending m a great measure on personal exertion, and the cun-cnt demand for their
produce, is of course, easily affected by political changes, which make little difference to
tile man whose income arises from a fixed capital.
anrésbr',,lré“Z T ' ' Z 'ta™ PropagR'ed and shrubs and all other herbaceous plants in general demand : «tahree cdu altlul rseo rotsf oflfo trriestess’
llowers IS often combined to a certam extent, and the dealing in seeds imported, bulbous
roots, and garden-implements and machines, is generally considered a part of tho business.
Hence the designation of nurseryman, seedsman, and florist, formerly, and still
to a certain degree, common on thcir sign-boards. Of this class of commercial gardens
feeie IS one or more m most counties of Britam, and a few in Ireland ; but the greateé
numbei, and by far the most important, are in the vicinity of the metropolis. Their ex-
fifl Z / I ' ®?"“ta” 'ta'ta tata»™ but others occupy forty or
l i m I fe 1 ®™ ’“"'‘to® a--® of doRble or triple that extent,
feoffel n fe“'’®i to™fetota"™0"oofr by head gai-deiiers, who had acquired a little
fruh frfes “ d ¥ 1 T n “ ooo^^ors. In eoimtry nurseries, the commoner
rén tt, to :■ 0 se plants, are the chief products; near Edinburgh
and the metropolis some embrace every article of nursery produce ; others deal chiefly ffi
mfecular Sree"b°R®e feants, otymerican plants ; and some almost limit themselvi to
fefecfelfebT f’fe "taOtof” ® '# o"»®. pelargonium, &c. The Scotch nurseries, and
w h OE r é Z l n r é a r l ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
? » s t o t o e Æ T f e î f e i t t o r i
made hedges may be purchased bÿ fhe foAt or Vard ^ “ “ " s way, and readyréeSitoSéinnY/
LtoréfeT
i i ü ü ^ i p i ü s little demand for fruit tre e s; but, in gentiral, the beTwYy [s m fflf utol'bTatoSiLaTaLrbY mlto^
up with the tree kind in the proper season, with culinary vegetables, either for the kitchen or for seed
or with flowers to produce seed. ’
6375. The following are leading objects o f nursery-management: —
6376. Correctness in the names given to plants and seeds of every description, and particularly to fruit
trees. To facilitate this, as to seeds and roois, their names should be painted on the various boxes sacks
and chests m which they are k e p t; and as to fruit trees, they should be designated by numbers p a n te d
on wooden,or,better, on cast-iron, tallies. Stool.s and stock plants of every description, not verv generally
known, and, if possible, th e wholeof those planted along the borders, whether known or not, should have
their systematic and English names painted on similar ta llie s; and smaller herbaceous plants in pots and
all exotics in pots, except such as come under the head of fruit trees or plants, as vines nines ’&c
should be named on small wooden tallies, written with a black-lead pencil on white lead newly rubbed on’
Some employ leaden, iron, or copper tallies, painted, but these are too conspicuous, and require too much
labour m the preparation for a nursery. It appears to us, that, to prevent the chance of substituting one
sort of fruit tree lor another, either by accident or design, th e foUowing mode might be adopted : let a
ctyalogue of fru it trees be printed hy the nurseryman, and let it contain against each name the number
placed against the plant in the n u rse ry ; then every autumn before the drawing season commences, let a
person with steel types of the numerals, and a marking-iron w ith the initials of the nurseryman go through
the rows pf frmt trees, and begmning a t No. 1., say of apples, p u t type 1. in a proper socket prepared in
the markmg-iron, and mark each tree fit to move, a few inches above the g ra ft; let him next do the same
•with No. 2., havmg changed the type; and so on with th e apples and all other fruit trees, not excepting
the peach. This would not supersede the u seof parchment labels to plants sold, but it would afford both
to the nurseryman and the public who purchased his catalogue, and his trees, a certain means of detecting
e r ro r ; as, should the label drop off m th e hurry of carrying the trees to the packing-court, or in unpacking
when arrived a t their final destination, th e number on the bark and th e published catalogue could
readily be referred to. If performed with a small sharp instrament, this practice could do no harm to
the tree.
6377. Punctuality, accuracy, and despatch, in executing all orders.
6378. Kathor procuring or mmtting an article than sending off a bad one, unless under peoular circum-
stances, to be explained to the party.
6379. Careful packing, and such as suits the sorts of articles, the season, the distance, or th e climate to
which they are to be sent, mode of carriage, &c. > . ,
6380. Keeping an exact account of m en’s time, and being particular in mustering them every morning
before the hours of commencmg work, and again a t the hours of rest and refreshment. This may be
greatly facilitated by causing them all to enter and go out a t th e same gate, which ought to be th a t at the
counting-house; and a bell or horn should call them to or from work.
6381. Keeping a vigilant-eye to the m en while a t work, especially with strangers, till you have proved
to them th a t you know what they can do by day or hour, by fair labour.
6382. Having one principal foreman or partner for th e whole, and sub-foreman for the exotic, American,
herbaceous, general nursery, and seed departments.
6383. Having a proper person employed as a traveller ; or yourself or partner taking that department.
63m. Acting on all occasions with the utmost impartiality between gentlemen and their gardeners,
leaning rather to the latter, in all doubtful cases, as the weaker party, according to the common consent
and practice of all mankind.
6385. Paying all workmen, and, a t all events your foremen, such loages for their labour as may not
tempt them either to idleness or pilfering themselves, or to countenance these practices in others.
6386. Publishing a printed catalogue, on a scientific principle, of every article you have, or intend to have
for sale, with the names, synonymes, some descriptionofthe fruits, anif reference to a figure of the p la n te r
fru it in some generally known wo rk ; and placing, as above observed (6376.), th e same number opposite
the names of your fruit trees in the catalogue, as is actually placed against them on cast-iron tall ies in the
nursery, and annually in autumn, belore the drawing season, impressed on all of them fit for sale with a
marking-iron and types.
6387 - Attending at all times and seasons, and in every part of the nursery, to frugality (avoiding meanness)
and neatness, keeping everywhere a vigilant eve, and always being beforehand, rather than behind,
with the different operations of cultivation. Much o f neatness depends on the master’s insisting that every
workman shall clean up and finish, as completely as practicable, every operation as he goes along. Having
taken up a tree or a plant, he ought never to forget to level up the h o le ; having pruned one, he ought a t
the same time to pick up the shoots, or, if in a course of pruning, he should have a boy or woman going
after him to do so, or, at all events, they ought to be picked up the same day. A corresponding attention
to order and neatness is requisite in every other operation; and this attention, once become a habit, will
be found a saving of labour, and a source of profit as well as of pleasure.
6388. The management o f the seed department is comparatively simple. The chief
difficiilty for seedsmen who are beginners, and at a distance from the metropolis, is the
ordering the proper quantities of each seed from the growers or wholesale dealers. The
guides to this are the proportions of the different crops usually grown in private gardens,
and the wants of the class who are likely to become purchasers. The same difficulty
occurs iu beginning almost every business, and is only to be overcome by experience.
The different periods to which different seeds retain their vegetative powers require tobe
known by seedsmen, as well that they may not furnish lifeless seeds to their customers,
as that they may not throw away as useless such as are possessed of the vital principle.
Though few seeds are kept by respectable seedsmen above a year, yet, in cases wliere a
partial failure has taken place in the seed crop, most sorts will grow the second year after
that in which they have ripened. Some, however, will keep from two to five or ten or
more years; and others for an unknown length of time.
6389. The latest periods at which the seeds most generally in demand may be expected to
grow freely are the following : —-
Cabbage tribe. Four years.
Leguminous culinary vegetables. One year,
Esculent roots. Beet, ten years ; Turnip, four years ; Carrot,
one year; Parsnep, one year; lladisli, two years; Salsify,
♦•••o years ; Skirret, four years ; Scorzonera, two years.
Asjiaraginous plants. Asparagus, four years; Sea-kale, three
years; Artichoke, three years; Cardoon, two years; Rampion,
two years: Alisanders, and tho Thistles, two years.
o years; Lettuce, three years;
t, six years; Mustard, four
years; Taragou, four years; Sorrel, seven years; Celery,
ten years.
Fol-herbs and garnishing-planls, in general two years; hut
Parsley will grow at six years; Dill aud Fennel, five years;
Chervil, six years; Marigold, three years; Borage four years.
Sweet herbs, generaUy two years; but Rue and Rosemary
three years; and Hyssop, six years.
Pianliiwed in taris, &c., generally two years; but the Rhubarb
only one year; and Gourd, Pompion, &c., ten years.
Herbaceous fruits. The Cucumber and Melon, ten or more
itoLi