608 



Wilkinson's Manners and Customs 



that which is not only now generally in use in Egypt, but throughout the 

 whole of the East, in Persia, in India, in China, Japan, and, in short, 

 wherever the culture of culinary vegetables is practised, from Pekin to 

 the neighbourhood of London. In the shadoof of the Egyptians, which is 

 represented in fig. 143., taken from Mi-. Wilkinson's work, vol. ii. p. 4., the 



143 



reader will readily recognise the long lever and bucket so commonly in use in 

 the market-gardens about London, and which he may see in abundance when 

 walking from Hammersmith to Brentford. Lest the reader should be puzzled 

 by the appearance of the circle round the bucket in fig. 143., we may apprize 

 him that the circle is intended to represent the rim of the well, the Egyp- 

 tians having no idea of true perspective, but representing objects on a plane 

 as rising one above another. In fig. 144. of the same page of the same 

 work, a cultivator is represented pouring the water from a bucket into a spout, 



145 



doubtless to conduct it to a tank for more convenient use, or, perhaps, 

 directly to the open gutters among the plants, as is done in the neighbour- 

 hood of Naples. In fig. 145., taken from the same work, vol. iv. p. 137., 

 pails of water are carried by the cultivator, suspended from a wooden yoke 

 borne upon the shoulders. Other figures given by Mr. Wilkinson represent 

 the gardener pouring out the water from these buckets on the plants ; and 

 in one cut, vol. iv. p. 5., the gardener is seen with his water-buckets in a 



