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by magnificent gardens. The history j petus to cultivation, which is felt in the 

 of modern nations presents similar re- 'remotest countries. Its example has 

 suits. Horticulture long lingered in i been followed in the most flourishing 

 the rear of other pursuits. Most of the kingdoms of the eastern continent, and 

 common fruits, flowers and oleraceous many similar institutions have been 

 vegetables which had been collected by . founded in the United States. The ef- 

 the Greeks and Romans, from Egypt, ' feet of these is to diffuse through every 

 Asia and other distant climes, were country the knowledge and products of 

 successively extended over Western all. The history, literature and science 

 Europe; but so gradual was their pro- of gardening, open a wide field for stu- 

 gress, after the dark ages, that, till ^ dy and inquiry. The pleasure which 

 the reign of Henry VHI., scarcely any gardens aff'orded men, even in the ear- 

 kitchen vegetables were cultivated in ; liest times, appears from the scriptural 

 England, and the small quantity con- I account of the garden of Eden. The 

 sumed was imported from Holland. ! garden of Gethsemane, and that of the 

 Fuller observes, that " gardening was j good and just Arimathean, are memor- 

 first brought into England, for profit, j able in the sacred history of the Messiah, 

 about the commencement of the 17th i The Elysian fields were the heaven of 

 century. Peaches, nectarines, apricots, ! classic mythology, and the devout Mus- 

 plums, pears, cherries, strawberries, i sulman hopes to renew his existence 

 melons, and grapes, were luxuries but | in a celestial paradise. The bards, 

 little enjoyed before the time of Charles | scholars and philosophers of the classic 

 n., who introduced French gardening ages, have transmitted descriptions of 

 at Hampton court, Carlton and Marl- the gardens of the ancients, from those 

 borough, and built the first hot and ice : in which Homer places the palace of 

 houses. At this period Evelyn trans- | Alcinous and the cottage of Lartes, 

 Jated the "Complete Gardener," and a ; to the splendid villas of Pliny and 

 treatise on orange trees, by Quintinyne ;! Lucullus. Among the ancient Greek 

 and, having devoted the remainder of | writers, Hesiod, Theophrastus, Xen- 

 his life to the cultivation of his rural , ophon and JEVmn treated of gardens to 

 seat at Sayes court, near Deptford, and ' a certain extent; and the works of 

 the publication of his Sylva, Terra, • those who wrote after the seat of go- 

 Pomona, and Acetaria, he " first taught I vernment was removed to Constantin- 

 gardening to speak proper English." 1 ople were collected under the title of 

 In the Netherlands, France, Germany, i Geoponica, and have been translated by 



and Italy, a formal and very imperfect 

 system of gardening was practised with 

 considerable success ; but it was ge- 

 nerally in a languishing condition, 

 throughout the world, until the com- 

 mencement of the ISth century, when 

 it attracted the attention of some of the 

 first characters of Great Britain ; but 

 the establishment of the present im- 

 proved style of horticulture is of very 



Owen. Among the Latins, Varro was 

 the first author, to whom succeeded 

 Cato, Pliny the Elder, Columella and 

 Palladius. Passages are to be found, 

 relative to the subject, in Martial, Virgil 

 and Horace; but Pliny's Natural Histo- 

 ry, and Columella's book on gardens, 

 contain the most correct information 

 on Roman horticulture. Literature and 

 the arts having revived in Italy, that 



recent date. "Bacon was the prophet, country was the first to produce books 

 Milton the herald, and Addison, Pope j on agriculture and gardening, and that 

 and Kent the champions of true taste." j of Crescenzia became celebrated. The 

 The principles which were developed in field and garden cultures of Italy are 

 their writings, and those of Shenstone, so nearly allied, and horticulture and 



the Masons, and VVheatley, \vere suc- 

 cessfully applied by Bridgeman, Wright, 

 Brown, and Eames ; the system soon be- 

 came popular, and gradually extended 

 over Europe, and ultimately reached 



agriculture have been so blended by the 

 writers, that it is difficult to ascertain 

 under which department to include their 

 works. The best for general informa- 

 tion on the tillage of that delightful 



the United States. But the labours of region is the Annali dell' Agricultura. 

 the London Horticultural Society have The Germans, as in all the branches of 

 mainly contributed to the perfection and , letters, science, and arts, have an im- 

 present high estimation of gardening. ' mense number of books in the depart- 

 That noble institution has given an im- \ ment of gardening, especially on the 



