How much or how little a traveller sees, depends upon two circumstances; the state of his own inquisitiveness, and the amount of intelligence he meets with from those whom he associates with on his tours. That the masses who visit our principal cities as " travellers" know very little of the places they pass through, is evident; without introductions, conversation is perhaps confined to the fellow-passenger, who knows more of the place just left than of the one approached. The hotel life is unfavorable to accurate investigation; we may see the outside of a city just as most Americans see Paris, but as to its inner life, how few know anything of it. Who has ever described country life in France f and yet there is such a thing; Lafayette's family was an example, and there are many others equally agreeable. Who has described country life in America? or who has seen it? As to the neighborhood of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, or Baltimore, how many of the millions who land in their streets and hotels know anything of the clever, quiet people who are leading sensible lives on the outskirts? Not one of the thousands.

And yet, these honest livers are numerous, are thrifty or wealthy, and pursuing objects of interest in agriculture, horticulture, literature, and those subjects of an enlightened social life, that lend an indescribable charm to civilization. When we say one-half the world knows not how the other half lives, we mean, how it gets its living - procures its bread; but we might say as correctly, that nine-tenths of our population know not the extent of the civilization of their neighbors.

This will be apparent, for instance, if a traveller who has heretofore made the Baltimore hotels his sole acquaintance, will domesticate himself in the vicinity, and, with the aid of an intelligent friend, explore the neighborhood; he will find much more intelligence, progress, and high civilization, than the external aspect of things, as he viewed them from the cars, has led him to expect, however attractive in many particulars, that may be.

We found, after such an examination, much more to admire, in a horticultural sense> than we had any expectation of; indeed, Baltimore, in proportion to its population, is not behind its compeers in enthusiasm for good culture, botanical riches and results. It has had no Magazine of its own, to chronicle and spread a knowledge of its doings, and yet it has a spirited horticultural society, excellent commercial gardeners, private collections of plants, and an amount of amateurs that quite surprised and delighted the little horticultural party which had surveyed with admiring eyes the finest places " at the North." In private life, there is a style, and even grandeur, which is rare anywhere; landscape-gardening has taken a high rank, and we cannot but wish the writer in the last North American Review, whose vision is so lamentably bounded by his " Boston Common," could extend his trips, and see scenery beyond " Cambridge;" we can assure him there is something beyond.

Farm Lands, the noble summer residence of Gustave W. Lurman, Esq., we have already described as a farm of six hundred acres, cultivated with a discriminative liberality, and yet with a large profit (see Horticulturist for December, 1856). It is about seven miles west of Baltimore, in a rolling country, commanding fine views of the city, the bay, and surrounding scenery.

The lady of the mansion is the presiding spirit of all that pertains to horticulture and planting; an enthusiast, in short, who never allows an opportunity to escape for the acquisition of a new tree or plant. They have already as extensive a collection of rare trees and shrubbery as we know anywhere, most judiciously selected and planted, and promising to become one of the most beautiful in this country.

The house, one of great extent and comfort, without architectural pretension, is situated on a gradually ascending elevation from the gate, in the midst of an open grove of lofty oaks and chestnut oaks of such magnitude, as to permit the lower branches to be trimmed up sufficiently high to give the most extended views without interfering with the dignity and character of the wood itself. These views extend, in the rear, to a forest of some hundred odd acres, attached to the estate, giving one an idea, from its repose and depth, of the ancient chase. And, in front, for many miles over a most charmingly rolling and park-like country, where .all the fences and barriers are most ingeniously concealed, to Baltimore - a distance of seven miles - and to the Chesapeake. We believe, in fine weather, this view even extends to the State House at A nnapolis.

The middle distance, after emerging from the grove, consists of a gradually rolling and sloping lawn, with some fine cedars and other trees judiciously grouped, until it finally terminates in a valley, advantage of which has been taken with much taste and discrimination, to place a French flower garden of great beauty in gravel and box edging, and immediately in rear of which is a very handsome architectural greenhouse; a gardener's house, a grapery, a double curvilinear house, frame yard, with several hundred feet of brick pits, a well-concealed vegetable and fruit garden, and the other necessary appliances of country life.

A well designed and admirably executed walk conducts from the house through the valley to the garden and greenhouse, bordered by masses of the newer and more beautiful shrubs, with occasional single trees or plants of rare value.

Through the deeper part of the valley, the plantations assume the character of what in England is calle4 " the American garden," and fine masses of Rhododendrons, Kalmias, Azaleas, Mahonias, Hollies, etc, abound in the greatest profusion and luxuriance. We do not remember ever to have seen finer or more superb Magnolias than in this portion of the grounds. The return walk passes over the side of several gentle elevations, and is in like manner tastefully planted with groups, masses, and single specimens of the rarer trees.

We believe it is the intention of Mrs. Lurman to form a Pinetum walk on this portion of the pleasure-grounds. There are, however; already at Farm Lands many fine specimens of the new Conifers.

Take it all in all, we know of no finer place south of Philadelphia, and, in fact, no place where a more charming effect is produced than the view from the house, under the canopy of lofty trees, over the gently rolling lawn to this soft and pretty valley, terminated in so bright and sparkling a manner with its brilliant French flower-garden and attractive greenhouse completely shutting in the view in this direction.

The defects, if defects they may be considered (and what place is without some?), are, perhaps, too great openness and extension in certain portions of the view; for we quite agree with Loudon in believing that even a park may be too large.

Our idea of the perfection of a place is such an amount of landscape as may reasonably be supposed to be within the compass of the ordinary fortune of the country in which the property is situated. Windsor Castle and Park would therefore be as inconsistent with our American fortunes as one of our suburban villas and lots would.be for an English nobleman.

We would therefore be quite satisfied if the views at Farm Lands were confined to the five or six hundred acres comprising the estate, instead of reaching, as they do, over many miles beyond; to be sure, similar landscape, but so extended as at once to impress the visitor with the impossibility of one individual owning the whole. However, this is a defect more or less belonging to all elevated situations, and one which so few persons would allow, that we may be thought captions even to have mentioned it. We therefore conclude our impressions of Farm Lands by repeating that, taking the farm and estate together, we know of few places more desirable.