SACRED AND CLASSICAL PLANTLNG. 



' Jove's own tree, 

 Tliul liokis tlie wootis in awl'ul sovreigiily," 



was well known all over Greece, and forms the basis of many a Hellenic legend. Accord- 

 ing to some, Jupiter's might was derived from the oak; and with a disinterestedness wor- 

 thy of imitation, he no sooner felt its power within him, than this father of gods and men 

 set himself to the task of teaching mankind to live upon acorns, so that the}- might parti- 

 cipate in his puissance. The temple and oracle of this god in Dodona, the most ancient in 

 all Greece, was surrounded by oaks, which, with the ground in the neighborhood, was 

 endued with a prophetic spirit. The oaks, therefore, became endowed with this gift, and 

 delivered oracles. So far as the classic page is concerned, the voice ol antiquity directs us 

 to no tree more gencrall}' than the oak. It grew chiefly and in great abundance on the 

 slopes and heights of Hellas, introduced, it is true, near to residences, for the sake of its 

 umbrageous and cool arches in summer time; but still in its greatest perfection in the 

 magnificent solitudes far from the busy hum of men. The slate of art, of poetry, and 

 elegance in Athens might have been pretty correctly ascertained from a simple fact con- 

 nected with this object — the intense, yet discriminating delight with which the people 

 looked upon the beauties of the oak in its numerous varieties, during its gorgeous autum- 

 nal appearance. Notwithstanding our advance in civilization and refinement, and love for 

 sylvan imager^', it is questionable whether we are yet up to the mark of that taste which 

 the Athenians exhibited in all that relates to trees and planting. 



The Mulberry is genei*ally reckoned as a biblical tree, but it is very doubtful if it has 

 really a right to be so included. Loudon, without inquiring whether our translators were 

 right in rendering the original term baca, at once concludes that ihe tree is twice mention- 

 ed in the sacred writings. Ilasselquist states, that the mulberry- scarcely ever grows in 

 Judea, very little in Galilee, though abounding in Syria and in the mountains of Lebanon. 

 In Chronicles, the term bccaim is rendered pear trees, and Aquila and the Vulgate have it in 

 the same way. Parkhurst gives it as his opinion that baca means a kind of large shrub 

 from M'hich is distilled an odoriferous gum, and in this opinion he is strengthened by the 

 fact that the Arabs have a shrub corresponding with this description, which they likewise 

 call baca. Its other associations rest on a clearer foundation. Pyramus, who lived in 

 Babylon, became enamoured of Thisbe, a very beautiful virgin of that city. The flame 

 was mutual, but their parents forbade marriage, so that the lovers regularly interchanged 

 sentiments through an aperture in a wall which separated their houses. They agreed to 

 meet at a given time at the tomb of Niuus, which was overshadowed by a white mulberry 

 tree, and without the walls of Babylon. Thisbe was first there, but the unlooked for ar- 

 rival of a lioness frightened her away; and as she fled she dropped her veil, which the 

 lioness found and left covered with blood. The lover soon after arrived, and having found 

 Thisbe's veil bloody, concluded that she had been torn to pieces by wild beasts. He in- 

 stantly stabbed himself. When she had so far recovered, Thisbe returned, and when she 

 saw the dying Pyramus, she fell upon the sword with which he destroyed himself. The 

 mulberry tree was stained with the blood of the lovers, and ever afterwards bore fruit of 

 that color. 



Standard mulberries should invariably have a strong stake set up beside them to keep 

 them in an upright position, and this should be continued until the tree is at least twenty 

 years of age. The prevailing characteristic of mulberry trees throughout England, when 

 left entirely to nature, is, that they are one-sided and top-heavy, requiring props to sup- 

 port them. This defect might be easily remedied by applying the aid alluded to. The 

 trees should be planted in sheltered situations, in rich trenched soil, kept up by frequent 

 manurings. When so treated the fruit is large and juicy. 



