THE GLORY OF THE GARDEN 



CHAPTER I 



THE HISTORY OF GARDENING 



" As gardening has been the inclination of Kings and the choice 

 of Philosophers, so it has been the common favourite of public and 

 private men; a pleasure of the greatest, and a care of the meanest; 

 and, indeed, an employment and possession for which no man 

 is too high or too low." — Sir Wm. Temple. 



The art and craft of gardening is undoubtedly the 

 oldest of all human occupations, and in the long 

 ages of time that have passed since the first gardener, 

 our forefather Adam, practised the art, first for 

 pleasure, and afterwards as a means of subsistence, 

 gardening has never failed to have a magic fascina- 

 tion for the rich and poor of all nations. 



Noah, we are told, was very proficient in the 

 cultivation of the Vine; Jacob in growing Vines, 

 Figs, and Almonds; Solomon in making gardens, 

 orchards, and vineyards. 



The ancient Egyptians, Assyrians, Chinese, Greeks, 

 and Romans seem to have been experts in the 

 fashioning of gardens and the cultivation of fruits 

 and vegetables. 



The gardens of that early period were enclosed 

 by walls or thick hedges to protect the crops from 

 prowling animals, and the chief crops grown seem 

 to have been the Vine, Fig, Pomegranate, Walnut, 



