tlie culture of plants was carried far beyond the sim- 

 ple provision against physical wants. It is presuma- 

 ble, however, that these first attempts of horticultu- 

 ral pursuits were necessarily rude and imperfect. 

 The histories of those ancient Gardens, the pride of 

 Oriental magnificence, seem to imply more the spirit 

 of architectural grandeur than the cultivation of the 

 soil. 



The study of Vegetables, as a science, and reduc- 

 ed to methodical arrangement, did not occupy the at- 

 tention of the world until a very late period. Indeed, 

 any existing regard to that subject was chiefly con- 

 fined to the more useful, or those of reputed medical 

 virtues, even to the sixteenth century, when Botanic 

 Gardens were first introduced ; and the earliest works 

 may be referred to about that period. The tedious 

 progress u hich Botany made, the repetition of an- 

 cient errors, the dissensions among the fathers of that 

 branch of natural science, are familiar to every stu- 

 dent of Nature. A new era of light and truth com- 

 menced under the labors of Linnaeus ; and since then 

 there have been continued advancing developments 

 of both useful and interesting facts relative to the 

 history of the vegetable world. 



Horticulture, in its restricted sense, has reference 

 only to the production of the garden. It is the hap- 

 py combination of Art with Nature, seizing upon the 

 phenomena of her laws, and producing from her ab- 

 errations and occasional seeming sportiveness, new 

 and curious results. Hence, it is intimately connect- 

 ed with every science which can afford any assistance 

 in arriving at such results, but more particularly with 



