PREFACE.

Tue term Encyclopedia, applied to a single art, is meant to convey the idea of as complete a treatise on that art as can be composed at the time of its publication. No art has been more extended in its objects, or improved in its practices within the last fifty years than Gardening. During that period numerous books have been written in various departments of the subject; but in no work has the whole Art of Gardening been included. The only books which have any pretensions to completeness are the Gardener’s Dictionaries: but though some of these are copious on the culture of plants, and others, in botanical description; yet in none is the subject of design, taste, and the arrangement of gardens, adequately treated of; and scarcely any thing is contained in these books, either on the History or Statistics of Gardening. In the voluminous edition of Miller’s Dic- tionary, by Professor Martyn, though the title announces‘“ the addi- tion of all the modern improvements of landscape-gardening,” there is not an article bearing that title throughout the work; nor a single quotation or abridgement from the writings of Wheatley, G. Mason, Price, Repton, or any modern author, on the art of laying out grounds.

The Encyclopedia of Gardening now submitted to the public treats of every branch of the Art, and includes every modern im- provement to the present year.

Though this work, like every other of the kind, can only be consi- dered as a compilation from books, yet, on various subjects, especially in what relates to Gardening History and Statistics, it was found ad- visable to correspond with a number of persons both at home and abroad. The favours of these Correspondents are here thankfully acknowledged; and their farther assistance, as well as that of every Reader willing to correct an error or supply a deficiency, is earnestly entreated, in order to render any future edition of the work as per- fect as possible.

Besides modern books, it became necessary to consult some com- paratively ancient and scarce works only to be met with im par- ticular collections. Our respectful acknowledgments are, on this

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