1G6 



POPULAE SOIEIvrCE NEWS. 



[November, 1888. 



date-palm, the fig. and, indeed, a host of others, 

 far too numerous to even mention here by name. 

 Some of these have flourislied well, and hand- 

 somely repaid the fruit-grower ; others do nicely, 

 and deserve far greater attention than they have 

 thus far received; and all such useful information 

 is abundantly and generously supplied by the bul- 

 letin before us. 



California has also successfully reared many of 

 the fruits just mentioned, while, in addition, she 

 has done fairly well with the olive and some other 

 semi-tropical trees and plants which are fruit- 

 bearers. 



No doubt the Department will take the proper 

 steps to judiciously distribute a certain number of 

 these excellent bulletins among Southern agricul- 

 turists and others interested in such matters; and 

 with the therein contained facts, instructions, suc- 

 cesses and failures, and suggestions for the future, 

 this bulletin is sure to carry with it a powerful aid 

 and stimulus to this growing industry. 

 FoilT WiNGATE, N.M., Aug. 27, 1888. 



ANCIENT HORTICULTURE. 

 As an art horticulture dates back thousands of 

 years, but as a science it is new. When man 

 ceased his nomadic wanderings, he first gave atten- 

 tion to husbandry, or agriculture proper; but a 

 desire for a greater variety of food induced him to 

 undertake the cultivation of fruits and vegetables 

 The pages of history are full of the accounts of 

 these old gardens, and indicate an advancement 

 truly wonderful for those times. Our first par- 

 ents were placed in a garden, which they were 

 commanded to dress and keep. The location of 

 the garden is a matter of dispute: Persia, Armenia, 

 Chaldaia, and even Ceylon and Sweden, have all 

 been mentioned as pcssibly the nursery of the 

 human race. In C«^lon they even point out as 

 the tree which bore the forbidden fruit, Taliernm- 

 monlana allernifitliu/: , the appearance of the fruit 

 and the odor of the flowers of which are said 

 to be very tempting. The fruit looks as if a 

 piece had been bitten off; and, although it is now 

 poisonous, the tradition is, that it was excellent 

 before Eve ate of it. We are also told that Noah 

 planted a vineyard, and made such progress in the 

 art of grape-growing and wine-making, that he 

 turned out a fine article; but, like many of to-day, 

 he proved his own best customer. If .we can 

 believe the accounts that have come down to us 

 in the writings of the earliest profane historians 

 and poets, the gardens of their time must have 

 been possessed of extraordinary beauty. Most of 

 these traditions were undoubtedly mere creations of 

 the fancy, and were only intended to excite wonder 

 in ignorant minds. The Gardens of Ilesperides 

 were described as surrounded by steep walls eigh- 

 teen fathoms high. Among the trees mentioned 

 as growing in them were golden apples (supposed 

 to have been oranges), pomegranates, mulberries, 

 olives, almonds, arbutus, bay, and myrtle. The 

 garden, according to mythology, was inhabited by 

 nymphs, daughters of Hesperus, and was guarded 

 by a dragon which never slept. The eleventh 

 labor of Hercules was to cairy off the golden 

 apples. The garden was said to be located in 

 Africa, near Mount Atlas. At first it was thought 

 to be an oasis in the desert, but old stone 

 quarries have been found whose bottoms were 

 covered with rich soil, in which the fruits of the 

 Hesperides were growing. The gardens of Alcinous 

 and Laertes, described by Homer, contained a 

 few fruit-trees and several beds of vegetables and 

 flowers. The garden of Alcinous was surrounded 

 by a hedge, which is the first mentioned in history. 

 Cultivating the soil, according to Sir Isaac Newton, 



was first i>raotised in Egypt. The sacred groves 

 of the Egyptians were watered by meandering 

 streams, which flowed from numerous fountains, 

 and produced an even temperature, thus making a 

 perpetual spring. The sycamore fig was planted in 

 long avenues, and date-palms were very common. 

 The Egyptians of four thousand years ago pos- 

 sessed the grape and various kinds of fruit-trees 

 and numerous vegetables. On the great Pyramid 

 there is said to be an in.scription giving the sums 

 paid out for radishes, onions, and garlic consumed 

 by the workmen. Strabo, in his time, describes 

 the country as a delicious garden, through which 

 a traveller might proceed from one end to the 

 other under the shade of all kinds of fruit-trees 

 The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were classed 

 among the wonders of the world. They were said 

 to be square at the base, and covered four acres. 

 The pillars supporting the garden were stone, three 

 hundred feet high, and were so arranged as to form 

 terraces. Stone beams were laid acrd.<s the tops of 

 the pillars; and these were covered with reeds, on 

 which were double rows of bricks, united with 

 cement, and covered with sheets of lead, which 

 prevented the moisture from passing down. Upon 

 this a thick layer of soil was placed. The upper 

 area and the terraces were covered with trees and 

 flowering plants, intersper.sed with walks and foun- 

 tains, seats and banqueting rooms. Water was 

 pumped by machinery from the Euphrates for 

 supplying the fountains and reservoirs. I5y some 

 the very existence of these gardens is disputed. 

 Quintus Curtius de.signates them " fabulous won- 

 ders of the Greeks." Many think that the garden 

 was merely a hill surrounded with terraces, and 

 planted. Of the Jewish gardens, that of Solomon 

 has received most attention. It was said to be 

 .square, and surrounded by a high wall. Solomon 

 wrote: " I planted me vineyards: I made me gar- 

 dens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of 

 all kinds of fruits: I made me pools of water, to 

 water therewith the wood that bringeth forth 

 trees." The Jews had large vineyards, and grew 

 vines from seed. They seemed to have some idea 

 of the effect of the pollen of one plant upon 

 another, as among the instructions of Moses was 

 the following: " Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard 

 with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which 

 thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be 

 defiled." So far as their climate allowed, the 

 Greeks copied the gardens of the Persians. The 

 cemeteries of the Greeks, as well as of the Jews 

 and Persians, were public gardens, adorned with 

 fountains and statues. — L. B. Taft, in Horticul- 

 tural 1'imes. 



THE FALLACY OF "PLAIN LIVING." 



Good plain living is still spoken of by old- 

 fashioned middle-class people as if it consisted of 

 little more than a joint of beef or mutton, roasted 

 or boiled, and as if cookery-books were conse- 

 quently altogether mistakes; but better-informed 

 people know this is not the case. The prejudice 

 in favor of a joint of meat with a simply made 

 pie or pudding and certain vegetables is, in fact, 

 a fruitful source of indigestion, under the influence 

 of which life loses its enjoyment, and health suffers. 

 Without undertaking any thing costly or elaborate, 

 a variety of admirable dishes may be placed upon 

 the table. Yet, to quote a sound authority, how 

 often do we see, "partly upon the erroneous sup- 

 position that plain roast or' boiled is the most 

 wholesome species of food, and partly to avoid the 

 trouble of providing any thing else, a whole family, 

 however various their constitutions may be, seated 

 at table before a single joint, to take their chances 

 of suffering from the repletion which even a small 



portion may occasion to a delicate person, who 

 could have partaken of three or fodr judiciously 

 cooked dishes without sustaining the slightest in- 

 convenience. The stomach, in fact, never performs 

 its duties so effectually as when it acts upon food 

 composed of much variety." Indeed, the united 

 testimony of high medical authority proves that a 

 variety of well-dressed food is more easy of diges- 

 tion than a meal confined to one sort of solid meat. 

 As Dr. Herbert Mayo says, " Diet should he varied.^' 

 And he adds, " A spoonful of soup, a flake of fish, 

 a slice of cold beef, in succession, will often provoke 

 an appetite, and with it digestion, where the nicest 

 cutlet or the most tempting slice of haunch of 

 veni.son would have gone against the stomach. — 

 English and French Cookery. 



SELECTED RECIPES. 



Chocolate Cakes. — The whites of eight eggs, 

 half a cake of chocolate grated, one pound of sugar, 

 six ounces of flour. Beat the eggs to a stiff froth, 

 add the sugar, then stir in the chocolate and flour. 

 Butter flat tins, and drop the mixture thereon ; not 

 too closely, as the cakes will spread. Bake a few 

 minutes in a quick oven. 



Royal Cocoanut Tarts — Half a pound of 

 granulated cocoanut and a quarter of a pound of 

 powdered sugar. Mix these with the yelks of ten 

 eggs and a little milk, then add four stale .sponge- 

 cakes rubbed fine and sifted; mix well together; 

 flavor with essence of lemon. Line some patty-pans 

 with puff paste rolled thin, and put some of the 

 mixture in the centre, then sift over the mixture 

 some desiccated cocoanut. 



Caramkl Fruit. — Take one pound of loaf 

 sugar, break it up small, put into a pan, and pour 

 over it one pint of water; put it on the fire, and let 

 it boil to crack, or 310°. Have ready some differ- 

 ent kinds of fruit, such as three cherries in a 

 bunch, one green-gage, three grapes, a large bunch 

 of red. currants, two damsons, a section of an 

 orange, pne-eighth of an apple, three raspberries 

 tied together, two strawberries, half an apricot, or 

 any other fruit in season; mind that they are all 

 perfectly dry. Have a tin plate oiled or buttered, 

 and, as you dip the fruit into the caramel, place on 

 this tin, the best side upwards. 



CooKKD Celery. — Celery has long been used 

 for salads or eaten raw, but it is very much better 

 cooked; indeed, it thus lieeomes one of the most 

 appetizing di.shes prepared for our table. Cut it in 

 small cross-sections, using nearly the entire stalk 

 and roots, i ejecting only the very green parts. 

 Cook it in but little water, so that when very 

 tender the water will have boiled nearly away; 

 then add milk sufficient for a nice gravy; season 

 to taste with salt and pepper; rub butter and flour 

 to a smooth paste, and add suflicient to make it of 

 a creamy consistency. When the flour is scalded, 

 it is done. 



Tomato Omelets. — Ingredients required, one 

 pound tomatoes, one pound bread-crumbs, a very 

 large Spanish onion, three eggs, twenty ounces of 

 butter, cayenne and salt to taste. Melt the but- 

 ter in a saucepan; add the onion chopped small 

 with a little cayenne and salt (no water) ; let it 

 cook for twenty minutes before adding the toma- 

 toes, stirring occasionally, but not keeping the 

 saucepan-lid off longer than is necessary. Scald 

 and skin the tomatoes, cut them into small pieces, 

 add to the onion, and let all simmer together for 

 about half an hour; pour the whole over the bread- 

 crumbs in a large basin, mix together, then add 

 the eggs well beaten, and turn into a shallow tin 

 or tins previously well buttered. Bake in a quick 

 oven for about ten minutes. 



