The causes of this depression are manifold: nurserymen, as I have said, have become more numerous, without a corresponding increase of traffic; the times generally are in a state which forbids landholders to invest much capital in planting; and those noblemen and gentlemen who do continue to improve their grounds in this manner, have very generally adopted the plan of forming nurseries for themselves. This last cause affects nurserymen most; and, if upheld, will ere long render them useless. To remedy this, it is only necessary, I think, that proprietors should keep a minute account of the expense of their nurseries: for I am persuaded such departments are kept up at a considerable loss; and the reason why this practice has not been discontinued is, because no correct notice is taken of the expenditure. They imagine, that, since they pay no rent, their gardeners or foresters can rear plants cheaper than they can purchase them: but if they take into consideration the time expended in sowing, weeding, transplanting, &c., which should be appropriated by those who hold either of these offices to employments more closely connected with their respective businesses, they will find that (especially in these times, when the multiplicity of nurserymen is a pledge against their being overcharged) it is quite superfluous to keep up nurseries for themselves.
