Foreign Notices: — Italy. 319 



folding up the' machine, and using it as 

 a short ladder, or laying it aside in little 

 space. When a stair-carpet is to be 

 beaten, the machine, which we shall call 

 a carpet-horse, is brought out and set up 

 (see fig. 74.); the roll of carpet is 

 placed at b ; a portion of it is drawn 

 out, and a man or woman at one side, 

 or two persons, one at each side, com- 

 mence beating it; and, as it is beat, it is 

 passed over the top of the horse (a), 

 and finishes by being left in a roll, com- 

 pletely cleaned, at the opposite end (c). 

 It is almost needless to mention, that 

 the hinges used are so constructed as that the short end ladders (b and c) 

 can only open to a certain width. 



At the Hague, Mr. Knight found a number of very large trees in the 

 palace garden, called The Wood, blown down by a hurricane ; some of them 

 with trunks 2 ft. in diameter. The roots of these trees had invariably 

 extended themselves along the surface, never penetrating into the water 

 below. 



The season of the year which Mr. Knight chose for visiting Holland was 

 decidedly the best for visiting that or any gardening country. During r "March 

 and April, all the main operations for the crops and products of the year are 

 performed ; the state in which plants have been kept through the winter, 

 and the progress of forcing, are obvious ; and while trees and shrubs in the 

 open air are budding, the eye can still penetrate through them so as to de- 

 termine the anatomy of groups and masses with reference to landscape- 

 gardening, and of standard and wall-fruit trees with reference to pruning. — 

 Cond. 



ITALY. 



Vegetables and Fruit at Florence. — The vegetable market at Florence 

 now exhibits profuse supplies of fine cauliflowers, broccoli, blanched en- 

 dive, and young cabbage-lettuce for salads, young turnips and carrots, 

 celery (not blanched), large white radishes, &c. &c. Cardoons (Cynara 

 Cardunculus £.), which we have not seen before, are abundant, the thick 

 inner leaf-stalks being blanched by the leaves being tied together. These 

 supply the place of the kohl-rabi of Germany (turnip cabbage), which is 

 not grown here, and, when well stewed, are not very dissimilar in taste* 

 No headed white cabbages for sauerkraut, as in Germany, but borecole, 

 savoys, and several other allied varieties, with loose leaves. Potatoes, 

 mostly of a roundish red-skinned kind, indifferent in quality, and dear, 

 5 quattrini (equal to three farthings English) the pound of" 12 ounces. This 

 high price, compared with the low price of cauliflowers, of which a fine 

 head costs only 4 or 5 quattrini, would seem to indicate that the cultiva- 

 tion of potatoes is not well understood in this part of Italy ; as, indeed, I 

 am inclined to think it is not any where on the Continent. Apples abun- 

 dant ; pears not so plentiful : the quality of each good, but not superior, 

 and no great variety of kinds. Grapes in great plenty, both white and 

 black, and very delicious : the skin shrivelled, and the juice very sweet, 

 from having been hung on strings in airy rooms since being pulled six 

 weeks ago ; price now, 8 quattrini the pound. Oranges, citrons, and lemons, 

 green, with a leaf or two to each, and some ripe oranges from Sicily. 

 Great quantities of the seeds of Pinus Pinea, called by the Italians Phiochi, 

 which are as large as an ordinary nut-kernel, but more oblong, and almost 

 as pleasant to the taste, with a slightly resinous flavour ; and chestnuts at 

 the corners of every street, where they can be had in seven different forms : 

 raw ; cooked and hot, both roasted and boiled ; dried by heat (the skins 



