174 



Garden and Forest. 



[April io, 1889. 



studied it in Egypt,* "than our common Water-lily, from 

 which it differs also in the behavior of the leaves and 01 

 the stems which bear the flowers. These do not float on 

 the surface of the water, but rise above it to a height of 

 from twelve to fifteen inches. The flower, which stands 

 liigher than the leaves, is borne upon a stalk which, instead 

 of being soft and pliant like that of the Water-lily, has the 

 lirmness and consistency of wood. It has an agreeable 

 smell like that of Anise. In the bas-reliefs the Egyptians 

 are often seen holding it to their nostrils. The fruit, which 

 is shaped like the rose of a watering-pot, contains seeds as 

 large as the stone of an Olive. These seeds, which were 

 eaten green or dried, were called ' Egyptian Beans ' by the 

 Greek and Latin writers because they were consumed in 

 such vast quantities in the Nile valley. . . . Even the root 

 was not wasted ; according to the old historians it had a 

 sweet and agreeable taste." 



Herodotus compares the seeds of the Nymphseas to those 

 of the Poppy. They, too, were eaten, being pounded in a 

 mortar and made into a kind of bread. But neither 01 

 these plants should be confounded with the Lotus which 

 formed the food of the so-called Lolophagi, in Ethiopia, 

 and has been so widely celebrated for its Lethe-like effects 

 by ancient and modern poets. This was the " Lotus- 

 tree," which Pliny says some persons identified with the 

 Celtis, but which modern commentators believe to have 

 been the Rhamnus Lotus of Linnaeus, the Zizyphus Lotu's or 

 more recent botanists, f 



The extensive thickets which the Lotus formed along the 

 banks of the Nile are frequently pictured on Egyptian 

 monuments, with men in boats hunting aquatic birds and 

 animals among their crowded stems ; and ancient writers 

 tell us that popular festivals were held among these green 

 and rosy water-groves. Constantly when sacred cere- 

 monies are portrayed, Lotus-flowers are held in the hand 

 of the chief figures. They were the symbols of generation, 

 life, resurrection and immortality, and therefore conse- 

 crated to Osiris. The four genii of the future world are 

 sometimes depicted standing upon them, and they like- 

 wise form a seat for the infant Horus, while historians tell 

 us that they were appropriately presented to the guests at 

 funerals. 



In Assyrian and Persian sculptures the Lotus is almost 

 as conspicuous, alternating with the Pine-cone as an ac- 

 companiment of the most solemn rites. In India, again, 

 we find the same thing — constantly the Lotus occurs, and 

 its sacred character is always apparent. Hindu legends 

 say that Brahma came forth from its blossom, and Sri and 

 other gods are sculptured sitting upon an open flower and 

 holding buds in their hands. Buddha is likewise thus 

 portrayed, and, according to some accounts, first appeared 

 floating on this mystic flower. | 



Perhaps it was the spread of Buddhism which carried the 

 Lotus to China and Japan. But from whatever place it 

 came and at whatever time, it soon grew to be as familiar 

 and beloved as it had been at home. At every step in 

 Japan one finds great tanks filled with the Lotus, and in 

 many religious ceremonials it has its function, while the 

 peculiar grace of its habit and its beauty of form and color 

 in leaf and bud and flower and fruit, added to its religious 

 significance, have made it chief among the artist's models. 

 Countless works of Japanese art are based, palpably or 

 remotely, upon the Lotus, from the delicate lines of the 

 surface-decoration applied to some tiny object or the pat- 

 tern on a woven stuff, to the ereat bronze vase in which 



the living plants are grown. Our illustration on page 175 

 shows such a vase or tank, which was brought to New 

 York a few years ago by the late Mr. Edward Greey.* 

 Nothing could be more beautiful than its outline, faithfully 

 copied from nature, yet admirably adapted to the chosen 

 purpose ; nor could a more splendid piece of decoration be 

 imagined for a public park or the terrace near some stately 

 mansion than such a vase filled— as we now know it could 

 be filled — with the "Sacred LotTfs " of the East. 



But it is not alone in Japan that the Lotus has conspicu- 

 ously entered into decorative and instructional art. Its 

 portrayal as a sacred emblem was not the only manner of 

 using it in Egypt. On page 170 will be found a reference 

 to the vital part it played in the development of Egyptian 

 architecture, while in all the decorative work of this 

 country it is the dominant and sometimes almost the only 

 motive employed. The leaf, the bud, the flower and the 

 fruit-pod, all were conventionalized in the most artistic 

 way, and woven into the most graceful and harmonious 

 patterns. The same is true to a lesser degree of Assyria, 

 Persia, India, Phoenicia and Cyprus. Lotus motives are of 

 common occurrence on the Cypriote vases in the Metro- 

 politan Museum. Doubtless the sacred character of the 

 plant had much to do with its universal adoption in art; 

 but must not the artistic instinct have been keen amone 

 peoples who first chose so exceptionally beautiful a plant as 

 a sacred emblem, and then adapted it so admirably to the 

 painter's the sculptor's and the architect's use .? 



The subject of architectural development is too wide and 

 complicated to be here examined. But we may at least 

 briefly say that some writers believe that Lotus-forms, start- 

 ing from Egypt, vitally influenced in later ages the course 

 of Assyrian and even of Greek architecture. They believe, 

 for example, that the so-called palmettes, rosettes and 

 anthemions of the Greeks were derived not from the Palm- 

 tree but from the Lotus, and that even in the Ionic capital 

 we may see a conventionalized reproduction of its down- 

 ward curling sepals or petals, with its clustering stamens 

 or petals in the centre. f — Ed.] 



*Perrot and Chipiez, History of Art in Ancient Egypt, vol. ii., p. 124. 



t"It is about the same size," says Pliny, "as tlie Pear-tree. . . . The fruit is 

 about the size of a Bean. ... It has branches thicUly set with leaves liUe the Myr- 

 tle. ... In the country where this tree is indigenous the fruit of it is so reinarka- 

 tjly sweet and luscious that it has even given its name to a whole territory and to a 

 nation who, by their singular hospitality, have e\en seduced strangers who have 

 come among them to lose all remembrance of their native country. ... A wine is 

 also extracted from this fruit very similar to honied wine. . . . Sucii is the tree 

 that is so-called in Africa, the same name being given to a certain herb," wliich 

 was probably Melilotus, a leguminous plant, "and to a stalk that grows in Egypt 

 belonging to the marsh plants." This stalk, of course, is the true Lotus. 



tT. F. Thistleton Dyer, " The Folk-lore of Plants." See also the illustrations 

 in Fergusson'3 ." History of Indian Architecture." 



Cultural Department. 

 Why Seeds Fail to Grow 



nPHIS question is a vital one, and pertinent to this time, when 

 -*■ all farmers and gardeners are preparing their soil for 

 planting seeds. We all know that a large proportion of the 

 seeds sown fail to make plants, and for this there are many 

 reasons. In the first place, many seeds sold and sown have 

 lost vitality because of age. It is not an uncommon practice for 

 seedsmen to sell from a given stock until it is used up. No mat- 

 ter how old a dealer's seeds may be, they are liable to become 

 mingled with the new. This is particularly true of what are 

 known as commission, or " box seeds." Many seedsmen en- 

 deavor to build up a large business by selling cheap seeds, 

 instead of giving customers seeds perfectly fresh, and of choice 

 selection, so as to remove one cause of failure. 



Again, through climatic influences, or some other condition 

 of growth, many seeds are abortive, or have a low vitality, 

 from imperfect development. For instance, nearly all the 

 Sweet Corn grown the last year germinates badly. On an 

 average it will not test more than two-thirds the usual percent- 

 age of sound seed. The same is true of many other seeds. 

 These are simply misfortunes, for which neither seedsmen 

 nor planter is in fault. 



But, after all, the main cause of failure is the planter him- 

 self. He fails to comprehend the needs of newly-sown seeds. 

 His success should l)e in proportion to the care he has given 

 to the preparation of his ground. But the very fineness to 

 which he reduces its particles adds a new danger to tlie seed, 

 unless soil and seeds are closely compacted together. Neglect 

 to firm the soil about seeds is the main cause of failure to ger- 

 minate. Peter Henderson's paper on " The Use of the Feet in 



*This picture was prepared for Mr. Greev's pamphlet on Japanese Bronzes, and 

 shortly before his death ne kindly consented to its reproduction in Garden and 

 Forest. 



t See W. H. Goodyear, "The Lotus in Ancient Art," American Ardu'tect atjil 

 Biiiltiing News, February 9th, 1889, et seq. These articles are extremely interestmg 

 fi'om the point of view of ai't ; but the author has not clearlv seen the general dif- 

 ference between the Nelumbium and the Nvmpliaeas. Nor can there be any doubt 

 that the Nelumbium was the true " Sacred t.otus " of Egypt. The witness of all 

 Oriental nations would suffice to prove the fact. 



