122 American Horticultural Society. 



Illinois. It leaves its crescent mark on our pears and apples. As 

 this subject has been discussed at considerable length I will now 

 present to you Mr. Cassell, of Mississij^pi, who will read a paper on 



HORTICULTURE IN CIVILIZATION. 



BY W. II. CASSELL, OF MISSISSIPPI. 



In all ages of the world horticulture has accompanied its civilization, and 

 the attention it has received has been somewhat in proportion to the advance 

 of that civilization; and the original command "to dress and keep the gar- 

 den " has lost none of its force at the present day, for no country home in 

 civilized lands is complete without its garden. All along the track of ages 

 appear its footprints, blessing generation after generation with its presence. 

 Retaining by tradition the excellence and beauty of the primeval garden, 

 men have ever tried to imitate the original. Some of the brightest intel- 

 lects and purest tastes have found ample scoj^e for exercise and rich harvests 

 of enjoyment in the pursuit of horticulture. It has also engaged the atten- 

 tion and ministered to the wants of many in the humbler walks of life. The 

 sacred writer in the Pentateuch mentions the Egyptian " garden of herbs by 

 the riverside." The ancient Egyptian tombs are sculptured with beds of 

 flowers, vineyards and fruit trees; the Syrians were noted for the variety of 

 their garden vegetables ; Solomon's garden contained roses and lilies, sweet 

 herbs and fruits of various kinds; the King of Babylon constructed hang- 

 ing gardens to please his Median wife. The Grecian gardens of Hesperides 

 were called by Strabo the " Inlands of the Blessed." Among the Romans, 

 Cicero the philosopher and the younger Pliny are said to have devoted much 

 of their time and money to their gardens. The Chinese, from their dense 

 population, have long been fine gardeners, and it is said that for productive- 

 ness theirs excel all other gardens. In the eighth century Charlemagne es- 

 tablished gardens for improvement in horticulture. With the wane of civ- 

 ilization in the dark ages horticulture suffered in the general decay; but 

 with the revival of the arts, shared in the general improvement. Cardinal 

 D'Este of the sixteenth century being one of its leading patrons. 



In the early settlement of this country horticulture was mainly confined 

 to the kitchen garden and the orchard ; but with increasing means and 

 greater leisure, flower and landscape gardening received more attention; 

 and Jed by such men as Downing, Kenrick < nd others, has added delightful 

 surroundings to many an American home, and blessed our large cities with 

 public parks which are the delight of all classes ; so that the history of our 

 world is incomplete without the history of its horticulture. It is, however, 

 in its relation to our American civilization that this Society is mostly inter- 

 ested, and being composed mainly of practical men with utilitarian tenden- 

 cies, we shall consider our subject in the light of its usefulness; and this re- 

 stricts us mainly to the vegetable garden and orchard. And we would no- 

 tice'^here the magnitude of horticultural operations in this department in 



