THE 



GARDENER'S MAGAZINE, 



MARCH, 1839. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. Notes taken from the Narrative of a Horticultural Journey 

 in Greece, during the Summer of 1837. By Eugene Achille 

 Baumann, of the Bollwyller Nursery. 



I know not whether a short account of the present state of hor- 

 ticulture and agriculture in Greece might not interest some of 

 your readers. It is true that this country is daily visited by tra- 

 vellers, your countrymen in particular, who, in their narratives, 

 infinitely more interesting than mine, introduce everything worthy 

 of notice ; but this celebrated country presents so many curiosi- 

 ties of all sorts, that horticulture, the subject which particularly 

 interests me, and which is at the very lowest ebb, could never 

 have particularly attracted the attention of any one having a dif- 

 ferent mission from mine. 



After having visited almost every part of Italy, where I found 

 many things to interest me, I arrived at Trieste in the spring of 

 1838, regretting much to be obliged to leave that fine country. 

 At Trieste, however, I received the necessary instructions from 

 my friends for undertaking a still longer journey. I was to pro- 

 ceed to Athens in Greece. The object of my journey was to 

 open some commercial negotiations with the amateurs of the 

 country, as well as with those persons at the head of the govern- 

 ment who might be favourable to an enterprise of this sort. A 

 new country, or, rather, one rising out of total ruin, like Greece, 

 presents many fair chances : for, the want of vegetables and fruits, 

 as well as of forest trees, is veiy soon felt in a country so situ- 

 ated. What particularly induced my family to this step was, 

 that for several years past we had been sending ornamental and 

 fruit trees to a considerable amount to the Greek government, as 

 well as for the plantations of King Otho. 



I embarked about the middle of May, 1837. Findinga favour- 

 able opportunity for extending my journey to Smyrna and 

 Constantinople, I went direct to Smyrna*; thence I went by 

 land to Brussa and Scutari, and arrived in Greece, after a stay 



* I proceeded to Smyrna, touching at Ancona, Corfu, Patras, and Athens, 

 and reached Smyrna by Syra and Scio. 

 Vol. XV. — No. 108. h 



