SU(i 



HORTICULT URE HOSEA. 



The kitchen garden is ,m indispensable appendage 

 to every rural establishment. In its simplest form, 

 it is the nucleus of all others. Containing small 

 compartments for the culture of esculent vegetables, 

 fruits, and ornamental plants, these may be gradually 

 extended, until the. whole estate assumes the impos- 

 ing aspect of picturesque or landscape scenery. The 

 details of the several grand divisions of horticulture 

 are to be learned from the numerous authors who 

 have devoted their especial attention to each, and 

 those which have been named, with many others, 

 should be consulted by every gentleman who wishes 

 to participate in the comforts and luxuries of a gar- 

 den. The most valuable and interesting branches 

 of gardening generally, are of course those which 

 include the culture of esculent vegetables, fruits, and 

 ornamental plants. These may be enjoyed, in vari- 

 ous degrees, by all the proprietors of the soil. It 

 is only necessary that information should be dis- 

 seminated, and examples presented by the more 

 intelligent and opulent, to remove the too common 

 prejudice, that gardens are costly and useless 

 appendages, requiring great expenditure and labour, 

 without any adequate profit or satisfaction. So far 

 from this, there is not a farmer, not an owner of an 

 acre of land, who will not be enriched or gratified by 

 .devoting a portion of his industry to the tillage of a 

 garden : they may find many hours which can be 

 thus profitably and pleasantly employed. Personal 

 attention, with judicious arrangements, and a proper 

 division of labour, will accomplish much. Many of 

 the most valuable products of agriculture were first 

 introduced, and their qualities tested, in the garden. 

 " If, therefore," says the learned and eloquent Poi- 

 teau, " we would ascend to the origin of Agriculture, 

 it is in the garden that her cradle will be found. 

 There, like the young Hercules, she first tried her 

 powers, and prepared, like him, to overrun the 

 world, which she speedily cleared of monsters, and 

 bestowed upon man the laws of civilization. 



In England, the eye is continually struck with 

 cottages embowered amidst fruit trees, shrubs, and 

 flowers, while a neat compartment of esculent vege- 

 tables supplies much of the food for the support of 

 the inmates. In Germany, Holland, and a portion 

 of Italy, it is the general attention which all ranks 

 bestow upon the grounds surrounding their habita- 

 tions, that gives such a pleasing aspect to those 

 countries. But little attention has yet been paid in 

 the United States of America to the planting of forest 

 trees, ornamental shrubs, and flowers, although the 

 native varieties are numerous, highly valued in other 

 countries, and constitute the most interesting exhibi- 

 tions in those celebrated establishments, which are 

 enriched by collections from all quarters of the globe. 

 Arboriculture claims attention, not merely for the 

 purposes of rural embellishment, but to replace the 

 valuable timber trees, which are fast disappearing 

 throughout the Atlantic states. The forest trees of 

 North America exceed 140, while in Europe there 

 are only thirty-seven. There are fifty-three species 

 of the oak, seventeen of the pine, fifteen of the wal- 

 nut, and eight of the maple. Of those magnificent 

 trees which compose the genus of the magnolia, 

 but fifteen are known, nine of which belong to the 

 .United States. 



In all ages and countries, flowers have been uni- 

 versally cherished. " Who," asks Boursault, " does 

 not love flowers? They embellish our gardens; 

 they give a more brilliant lustre to our festivals ; 

 they are the interpreters of our affections ; they are 

 the testimonials of our gratitude ; we present them 

 to those to whom we are under obligations; they are 

 often necessary to the pomp of our religious cere- 

 monies, and they seem to associate and mingle their 



perfumes, with the purity of our prayers, and the 

 homage which we address to the Almighty. Happy 

 are those who love and cultivate them." The 

 ancients paid particular attention to flowers. They 

 were in great request at the entertainments of the 

 wealthy; they were scattered before the triumphal 

 chariots of conquerors; they formed the distinguish- 

 ing insignia of many divinities ; they glitter as gems 

 in the diadem of the seasons, and constitute the mys- 

 tical language of poetry. We are told that Des- 

 cartes prosecuted, with equal ardour, astronomy and 

 the culture of flowers. The great Conde devoted 

 his leisure hours to that delightful pursuit, and the 

 vase of flowers was daily renewed upon the table of 

 lord Bacon, while composing the volumes of his 

 sublime philosophy. In the cities of Europe, 

 flower-markets, for the sale of bouquets and orna- 

 mental plants, are as common as those for fruits. 

 In America, these delicate daughters of the sun 

 have not received that attention which indicai.es 

 the highest state of civilization; but a taste for 

 floriculture is increasing throughout the Union, 

 and ornamental plants embellish the country seats 

 of the opulent and the dwellings of honest indus- 

 try. Botanical gardens have been established 

 in several of the states, and the large cities can 

 now boast of their marts and exhibitions of flowers. 

 Among the productions on horticulture, there is 

 no single work in the English language so valu- 

 able as Loudon's Encyclopedia of Gardening ; 

 but all the numerous publications of that distin- 

 guished writer, in the various branches of rural econ- 

 omy, are remarkable for the fund of intelligence which 

 they contain. See Gardening. 



HORTUS SICCUS. See Herbarium. 



HORUS, in fabulous history, the son of Osiris and 

 of Isis, commonly represented as a child in the arms of 

 his mother, and sucking at her breast, was the last 

 of the deified kings who reigned in Egypt. When 

 Typhon killed Osiris, he also sought every where 

 for Horus; but his mother had given him to Latona, 

 who kept him concealed. Nevertheless, he was 

 killed by the Titans ; but his mother restored him to 

 life, and made him immortal. She also taught him 

 the healing art, and endowed him with the power of 

 prophecy, which he used for the advantage of men. 

 His father ascended from the infernal regions, and 

 taught him the art of war. When he was grown up, 

 he levied troops, and made war against Typhon, 

 whom he succeeded eventually in conquering. (See 

 Typhon.) Hammer declares him to be Janus, or 

 Amenthes. 



HORUS APOLLO. See Horapollo. 



HOSANNA (help him, God!) was a solemn saluta- 

 tion of the Jews, with which they addressed their 

 kings and heroes. They also gave this name to a 

 prayer which they pronounced on the feast of taber- 

 nacles. Rabbi Elias says that the Jews called the 

 palm branches, which they carried on this day, also 

 hosanna. 



Hosanna Rabba, or Grand Hosanna, is a name 

 which the Jews give to their feast of tabernacles, 

 which lasts eight days, because, during the course 

 thereof, they are frequently calling for the assist- 

 ance of God, the forgiveness of their sins, and his 

 blessing on the new year. 



HOSEA ; the first among the minor prophets of 

 the Old Testament. His book was admitted into 

 the canon after the Babylonish captivity. He 

 appeared in the kingdom of Israel about 770 B. C., 

 to denounce the vices of his contemporaries, and 

 threaten them with divine punishment. He has 

 represented, in the three first chapters of his book, 

 the guilty violation of their covenant with God, by 

 an allegory, very common among the Hebrew poets, 



