and Horticultural Society of India. 443 



larkspurs, and about half a dozen brood mares. It has upon it two small but 

 neat houses, with apartments for servants, near the gate, and the whole is in 

 good repair." (p. 85.) 



In this article, the floating gardens of Cashmere (Encyc. of Gard. new 

 edit. § 1391.) are described; and it appears that the cucumbers and melons 

 grown in them are neither very large nor very well flavoured. At a distance, 

 the smaller of these gardens appear like haycocks ; one melon or cucumber 

 plant growing on the summit, and spreading down the sides ; the larger are 

 like narrow ridges of dung made up for growing mushrooms, with rows of 

 cucumbers or melons along the top. The floating gardens are frequently 

 collected together in a sort of fold, and surrounded by a floating fence, having 

 a boat-way, which is opened only at particular times. Floating gardens of 

 great extent are sometimes stolen during the night, and being towed a consi- 

 derable distance, and anchored along with others of a similar character, it is 

 difficult for the owner to recognise his property. To prevent these robberies, 

 folds of floating gardens are generally watched during the night. 



Art. xxn. contains the method of treating grape vines at Bombay; in which 

 the chief thing worthy of remark is the mode of giving them a kind of 

 artificial winter. This is done by laying bare the roots after the rainy season, 

 so as to check vegetation. They are laid bare about the 7th or 10th of 

 October, and are allowed to remain exposed for 15 or 16 days. The vines 

 are then pruned, and in about a week afterwards, it is observed that the buds 

 are beginning to break ; the roots are then re-covered with the soil mixed 

 with manure, and water is given to them every morning and evening till the 

 fruit attains its full growth. They are afterwards watered every third or fourth 

 day, till the grapes are completely ripe. It thus appears that the length of the 

 winter given to the vine in Bombay is about 26 days, which may perhaps 

 afford a useful hint to the British forcing gardener. It does not appear that 

 the produce of the vines in Bombay is very great, but the gardeners have 

 no difficulty, by means of wintering different plants in succession, in having 

 ripe grapes every day in the year. 



Art. xxiv. is a translation from a native gardening work full of receipts for 

 rendering plants fruitful, flowers fragrant, and for changing their colours, &c. 

 There is scarcely one of these receipts that is not perfectly absurd ; for 

 example : " To cure all diseases of vegetables, make asmoke in the field, with 

 cows'j and cats' bones, and cats' dung" (p. 141.); though the results pro- 

 posed may sometimes be accounted for by the check given to the returning 

 sap. 



Art v. Vol. II. is on the mango and peach trees. " No fruit in India is 

 held in such estimation by the whole mass of its population, from Delhi 

 to Cape Comorin, as the mango." The peach, though a fine fruit, is com- 

 paratively little valued. The mango is allowed to be extremely wholesome 

 and nutritious. There are a great many varieties of mangoes to be found in 

 the orchards of India ; but, like the peaches in the American orchards, they 

 have been generally raised from seeds sown on the spot, and the majority of 

 them are of very inferior quality. 



In Art. vii. it is stated, that, in order to have good and early crops of cauli- 

 flowers, cabbages, peas, turnips, &c, it is absolutely necessary to sow only 

 seed which has been raised in the country. For late crops, that which has 

 been raised at the Cape of Good Hope, or Van Diemen's Land, is found best. 

 European seeds should be chiefly used for producing plants as stock from 

 which to raise seed in India. There are some papers on the culture of 

 indigo and sugar, and one on the cultivation of the teak, which we have not 

 space to enter on. The growth of the teak is said to be rapid, and the wood 

 at all ages is found excellent. In these and other respects it is said to have 

 greatly the advantage of the British oak. A teak board, however, is some- 

 times consumed in a single night by the species of insect popularly called the 

 white ant. 



