For February, 1922 



55 



with minute fleshy leaves and small yellow flowers borne 

 in clusters noar the tips of the twites : besides i'rgiiica 

 marittnia, the bulbs ol: which are the '"squills" used m 

 medicine, and many others of more or less interest. It 

 will be noticed that all are characterized by some pro- 

 vision having been made for the conservation of water 

 either by a coating of hairs, thick fleshy leaves, or ab- 

 sence of leaves, or in some other way known to tlie plant 

 dweller on the dune. Every bit of the plain is arable 

 and as rain brought from the west falls from .August right 

 through Wmter and Sjjring until the end of Mriich, it i> 

 very suitable for wheal ;m(i siniilar cni|)s. l'!\fr\ inch i-- 

 under cultivation and in ]jlaces like |;iffa, the mudeni 

 Joppa, there are huge orange groves, with a iew almond 

 and tig orchards. 'Iraveling through the plain in spring it 

 presents a wonderful sight, w ith its large stretches of green 

 wheat patched quite red here and there with anemones and 

 later on with poppies of the most brilliant hue. On the 

 inner edge the hills start and very soon get u]) to 1,000 

 feet above sea level, the height gradually increasing 

 further inland to about 2,000 feet. They are cut by 

 immense wadis or valleys running inland, which throw 

 of¥ branches, that in turn also branch. In any other 

 country we might e-Xjiect to find rivers speeding their 

 way down these water courses but in the Spring of the 

 year they are absolutely dry. However, the country as 

 a wdiole does not suffer from lack of water owing t(j the 

 existence of numerous springs and conservation liy iiieans 

 of wells and rock cisterns or aqueducts. 



Water is the most precious thing in the country, and 

 of vital importance in those districts where springs and 

 streams are rare. The bygone inhabitants set us an 

 example by the way in which they recognized this fact, 

 and took advantage of the periodic wet seasons to pre- 

 ser\e as much of the precious licjuid as possible, for use 

 in times of drought. No labor, time, or expense, was 

 spared in the pursuit of this object, and water saving 

 was part of the scheme by which the desert — ever ready 

 to devour — was kept from encroaching on their narrow 

 strip of land. Josephus tells of an aqueduct 25 miles 

 long which was made by f'ontius Pilate, the governor of 

 Judea, in order to bring water to Jerusalem, which had 

 no natural supply in the shape of springs or streams. 

 The engineers of that time must have had some diffi- 

 culties; for the conveying pipes, which consisted of large 

 blocks of stone bored through the centre, traveled in a 

 direct line up and down the slopes of the mountains, and ■ 

 the amount of pressure recjuired nuist have been con- 

 siderable. Aqueducts are and always must have been 

 common and familiar objects in the Holy Land. The 

 pipes were generally made of earthenware laid in thick 

 beds of cement, the latter largely formed of crushed pot- 

 tery, which in course of lime became as hard as stone. 

 Sometimes passages for the water to flow were cut in 

 grooves in the limestone of the hillsides ; and in many 

 places where no springs could be foundj very rich sheiks 

 have chiseled through rocks or drilled to depths of over 

 200 feet, in their efforts to find an artesian basin. 



The irrigation systems along the valleys, through which 

 the railway of today passes, are very ancient and date 

 back to the beginning of things. The same streams are 

 now used and the same methods applied for the directing 

 and controlling of the water as prevailed in the time of 

 Abraham. These old builders did their work so well 

 that the pools, cisterns, and wells which they established 

 still stand as monuments to their memory, and will be 

 appreciated as long as that thirsty land exists. The 

 beautiful temple of Solomon, with all its glory of pome- 

 granate wreaths and cedar overlaid with gold, has van- 

 ished: but the three pools which he caused to be con- 



structed with such care in the vicinity of Jerusalem, and 

 filled with water, still remain, and are in constant use, 

 forming the sole supply of the people of Bethlehem. — ■ 

 South .Ifrican Gardening and Country Life. 



A LESSON ON BEAUTIFYING HOME 

 SURROUNDINGS 



(L <nitinU'Cd fruiii [^ii:^e 48j 



departure from a straight line is advi.sable, then there 

 must be some appropriate planting placed in stich a posi- 

 tion, either before or after the drive or walk is made, so 

 that it will be obvious that the curve was necessary to 

 avoid the planting, or it may be some other object. 



In constructing a drive through an extensive estate 

 advantage should be taken of opportunities to obtain 

 views of any points of interest in the surrounding coun- 

 try, and at the same time one should avoid, or hide, by 

 suitable planting, any undesirable objects. 



With small places the position of the house and drive 

 require careful limited area. More can be made of a 

 small lot by placing the house to one side of it than by 

 placing it in the middle. In these days practically 

 everyone has an automobile and a drive is necessary to 

 reach the garage. This drive should be at the side, leav- 

 ing five or six feet from the boundary for some planting, 

 its subsequent direction depending upon the position of 

 the service side of the house, etc. It is not advisable for 

 the drive on a small place to proceed along the front of 

 the house, as iMssengers can be deposited and taken on 

 at the end of the verandah, along which they can reach 

 the front door. This method entirely does away with 

 any excuse for the existence of a walk running through 

 the law-ii, which is one of the most hideous features of the 

 modern suburljan home, especial! v when constructed of 

 cement. 



Such a drive should lie entirely screened from the front 

 lawn by suitable planting, and. with the elimination of 

 the center walk, combined with planting on the other sides, 

 a front lawn is then in the desirable condition of being un- 

 broken and shut oft from everything but the house. 



According to the size of the place, subsidiary walks and 

 drives have to be provided where such are necessary. 

 Neither is artistic in itself. Every foot of walk or of 

 drive is a trouble, an expense, and usually a distinct de- 

 traction from the beauty of a place. They should there- 

 fore be reduced to the smallest quantity that will fit the 

 actual demands of the traffic about a place. 



The least desirable form of garden walk is that con- 

 .^tructed of cement. When a walk, other than grass is 

 required in a garden, the least objectionable form to have 

 is that composed of irregular shaped pieces of flat stone 

 so laid as to be flush with the lawn — if it passes through 

 one — the grass growing in the spaces between the stones 

 can be cut with the lawn mov\'er. These spaces may also 

 have dwarf hardy plants growing in them when the walk 

 is not through a lawn such as Sedunt acre and Tliynius 

 serpyllimi; when the latter is walked over a delightful 

 perfume arises. Hard red brick, set cm edge is from all 

 jjoints a better material than cement. 



God Almighty first planted a garden. And, indeed, it 

 is the greatest refreshment to the spirits of man : with- 

 out which buildings and palaces are but gross handiwork ; 

 and a man shall ever see that v\'hen ages grow to civility 

 and elegancy, men come to build stately gardens sooner 

 than to garden finely : as if gardening were the greater 

 perfection. — Bacon. 



