A TALK ON GARDENS. 103 



The garden of Alciuoiis, the Eastern king of ancient times, 

 was situated on the island of Capri. It was placed in front of 

 the palace and was about four acres iu extent. The first hedge 

 mentioned in history surrounded this garden, which contained 

 three or four sorts of fruit trees, borders of flowers, and beds of 

 vegetables, while two fountains furnished water in an ornamental 

 manner. 



Of the gardens of ancient times those of Babylon were the 

 most remarkable. These were built about 2000 B. C. and were 

 considered one of the wonders of the world. They wei-e four 

 hundred feet square and rose with terraces, one above the other, 

 in the form of steps, supported by stone pillars, to a height of 

 three hundred feet, the top terrace being much smaller than the 

 base. Vast stone beams placed on top of columns held up the 

 terraces. The beams were covered by reeds, cemented with 

 bitumen, upon which were placed a double row of bricks laid in 

 cement. The bricks were covered with lead sheathing to hold in 

 the moisture, and upon this was filled in suflflcient earth for the 

 growth of plants. Various kinds of trees were planted in rows 

 along the sides of the terraces, thus giving, at a distance, the 

 effect of a completely wooded hill. The river Euphrates supplied 

 water to these gardens. This was raised and introduced into foun- 

 tains by machinery. The different terraces contained fountains, 

 parterres, seats, and banqueting rooms. These gardens offered 

 all the splendor and luxury of Eastern magnificence, combined 

 with the more peaceful enjoyment of natural scenery. 



The Persian kings were very fond of gardens, which were laid 

 out in quadrangles, with long parallel walks, planted with shade 

 trees set in lines and regular figures. The margins of the walks 

 were planted with tufts of roses, violets, and other sweet smelling 

 flowers of low growth, while interspersed between the trees was 

 every kind of flowering shrub. Formal canals ran parallel to the 

 avenues and generally terminated in a large basin, octagonal in 

 shape and ornamented with sparkling fountains. A tower, from 

 the top of which one had a grand view of the garden, was 

 generally placed in one corner. 



These few examples are sufficient to give the general idea of the 

 ancient garden and in looking back upon this period we see that 

 gardening was one of the first necessities, and may claim priority 



