75G 



HORTICULTURE 



HORTICULTURE 



the entire range. It is only those who look for princi- 

 ples who survey the whole field. Fractitiouers mu-st 

 confine themselves to rather close bounds. Consider 

 that no less than 25,000 species of plants are in cultiva- 

 tion, each having its own requirements. Consider the 

 great number of species wliich are actually on sale in 

 North America, as registered in this Cyclopedia. The 

 most important species vary immensely, the named and 

 recorded forms often running into the thousands; and 

 each of these forms has particular merits and often pa-i-- 

 ticular requirements. Consider that the requirements 

 are likely to be different in any two places, and that the 

 plants are profoundly modified by changes in conditions 

 or in treatment. Consider the vagaries of markets, 

 which are ruled by questions of fancy more than by 

 questions of necessity. There is probably no art in which 

 the separate details are so many as in Horticulture. 



Of Horticulture there are two general types, — that 

 which is associated immediately with the home life, 

 and that which is undertaken primarily for the gaining 

 of a livelihood. The former is amateur Horticulture. 

 Those things are grown which appeal to the personal 

 tastes: they are grown for oneself. The latter is com- 

 mercial Horticulture. Those things are grown which 

 the market demands: they are growil for others. In all 

 countries, commercial Horticulture is a relatively late 

 development. General agriculture is usually the pri- 

 mary means of earning a living from the soil. For the 

 most part, Horti'-ulture comes only with the demand for 

 the luxuries and refinements of life : it does not deal 

 with what we call the staples. It is not the purpose of 

 this sketch to trace the general history of Horticulture. 

 If one desires such outlines, be should consult the Bohn 

 edition of Pliny's "Natural History;" Loudon's "Ency- 

 clopsedia of Gardening;" G. W. Johnson's "History of 

 English Gardening ;" Amherst's "History of Gardening 

 in England ;" Sieveking's "Gardens, Ancient and Mod- 

 ern;" Jager's "Gartenkunst und Garten, sonst und 

 jetzt ;" Hiittig's "Geschichte des Gartenbaues ;" the 

 historical chapters of Andre's "L'Art des Jardins." 

 For the histories of cultivated plants, see DeCandoUe's 

 "Origin of Cultivated Plants;" Hehn & fStallybrass' 

 "Wanderings of Plants ahd Animals from their first 

 Home;" Pickering's "Chronological History of Plants." 



In North America there was little commercial Horti- 

 culture before the opening of the nineteenth century. 

 There were excellent home gardens more than a centui'v 

 ago, in which many exotic plants were growing; yet, in 

 proportion to the whole population, these gardens were 

 isolated. The status of any modern tirae is accurately 

 reflected in its writings. It may be well, therefore, to 

 bring in review the lead'ing early horticultural writings of 

 this country. Few studies have been made of our hor- 

 ticultural history. The best is the introductory sketch, 

 by liobert Manning, in the "History of the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society," 1880. For its field, Slade's 

 "Evolution of Horticulture in New England," 1895, is 

 interesting. In a still narrower field, Boardraan's "Ag- 

 ricultural Bil>liography of Maine" is critical and inval- 

 uable. The chapter on "American Horticulture," by Al- 

 fred Henderson, in Depew's "One Hundred Years of 

 American Commerce," 1895, presents the commercinl 

 side of the subject. Another fragment of the history is 

 presented in the writer's "Sketch of the Evolution of 

 our Native Fruits," 1898. Histories from several points 

 of view are presented in the "Florists' Exchange" for 

 March 30, 189.>; and the writer has incorporated parts 

 of his own contribution to that history in the sketch 

 which follows. 



The earliest writings on American plants wore l)y 

 physicians and naturalists who desired to exploit the 

 wonders of the newly discovered hemisphere. The 

 earliest separate writing is probably that of Nicolo 

 ^lonardes on the products of the New World, whifh was 

 published in Seville in parts, from 1505 to 1571. The 

 completed treatise was translated into Italian, Latin. 

 English and French. Monardos is now n-meinbered to 

 us in the genus Monarda, one of the mint tribes. He 

 wrote of the medicinal and poisonous plants of the 

 West Indies, and gave pictures, some of them fantasti- 

 cal. His picture of tobacco is not greatlv inaeeurate. 

 however; and it has the distinction of being probablv 

 the first picture extant of the plant, if not of any Ameri- 



can plant. This picture is here reproduced (Fig. 1077) 

 exact size, to show the style of illustration of three 

 hundred years ago. Jacques Cornutus is generally sup- 

 posed to have been the first writer on American plants. 

 His work, "Canadensium Plantarum," appeared in 16;i5, 

 and it al.so had pictures. One of the earliest writers oii 

 the general products and conditions of the northerij 

 country was John Josselj'n, who, in 1672, published a 

 book entitled "New England's Rarities discovered in 

 Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Serpents, and Plants of that 

 Country," and in 1G74 a second volume, "An Account of 

 Two Voyages to New England, made during the years 

 l(i;j8, 166;J." The "Rarities" gives specific accounts of 

 many plants, together with pictures of a few of them. 

 as, for example, the pitcher plant. He mentions the 

 plants which had become naturalized from Europe. 

 There is also a list "Of such Garden Herbs (amongst 

 us) as do thrive there, and of such as do not." Thits 

 list, the earliest record of the kind, is here transcribed : 



Cabbidge growes there exceeding well. 

 Lettioe. 



Sorrel. 



Parsley. 



Mai-ygold. 



French Mallowes. 



Cher^'el. 



Burnet. 



Winter Savorj'. 



Summer Savorv. 



Time. 



Sage. 



Carrats, 



Parsnips of a prodigious size. 



Red Beetes. 



Radishes. 



Turnips. 



Pur slain. 

 ■ Wheat. 



Rye. 



Barley, which commonly degenerates into Oats. 



Oats. 



Pease of all sorts, and the best in the World ; I never heard 

 of. nor did .see iii eight Years time, one Worm eaten Pea. 



Garden Beans. 



Naked Oats, there called Silpee, an excellent grain used iii- 

 steed of Oat Meal, they dry it in an Oven, or in a Pan upoo tin.' 

 fire, then beat it small in a Morter. 



Spear Mint. 



Rew, will hardly grow. 



Fetherfew prospereth exceedingly. 



Southern Wood, is nu Phiut for this Country. Nor 



Rosemary, Nor 



White Satten groweth pretty well, so doth 



Lavender Cotton. But 



Lavender is not for the climate. 



Penny Royal. 



Smalledge. 



Ground Ivy, or Ale Hoof. 



Gilly Flowers will continue two Years. 



Fennel must be taken up, and kept in a warm Cellar all Winter. 



Housleek prospereth notably. 



Holly hocks. 



Enula Campana, in two Years time the Roots rot. 



Comferie. with white Flowers. 



Coriander, and 



Dill, and 



Annis thrive exceedingly, but Annis Seed, as also the Seed of 

 Fennel, seldom come to maturity ; the Seed of Annis is com' 

 monly eaten with a tly. 



Olai-y never lasts but one Summer, the Roots rot with the 

 Frost. 



Sparagns thrives exceedingly, so does 



Garden vSorrel, and 



Sweet Bryer. or Eglantine. 



Bloortwort hut sorrily, but 



Pit.tience, and 



EntiUsli Roses, very pleasantly. 



Celandine, Ity the West Country men called Kenning Wort, 

 grows b\it slowly. 



Wuschata, as well as in England. 



Dittander, or Pepper Wort, tiourisheth notably, and so dntli 



Tan.sie. 



Musk Mellons are better than our English, and 



Cu'-umlters. 



PoTupions, tliere Ite of several kinds, some proper to tin- 

 <'ounli-y, they are dryer then our English Pompions, and bet 

 1i:'r tasted; you may eat them green. 



Tuckerman comments as follows on the above lists: 

 "The earliest, almost the only account that we have of 

 the gardens of our fatliers, after they had settled them- 

 selves in their Ncir England, and had taraed its rugged 



