314 



The Garden Magazine, February, 1922 



garden. Their method of construction is plainly indicated. 

 The poles are swung on posts, the heavy end lifting the bucket of 

 water, which is fastened to the lighter end of the pole. 



Rameses 1 1 declared that " he set out many gardens, all 

 filled with many trees having sweet-smelling and odorous woods, 

 the products of Punt." 



THE greatest founder of gardens, however, was Rameses III 

 of the Twentieth Dynasty, about 3,000 years ago. The so- 

 called Papyrus Harris, which is 133 feet long, contains several 

 passages of great interest from our present viewpoint. They not 

 only give the atmosphere of the movement for temple gardens, 

 but supply us with many details. 



In part, Rameses' narrative runs as follows: " I built for thee, 

 Amon Ra, a stately palace ... It was encompassed 

 with gardens and arbors, abounding in fruit and flowers for the 

 two serpent goddesses. ... I dug a reservoir before them 

 filled with lotus flowers. I set out for thee, Amon, vineyards 

 in the oases. ... I supplied them with gardeners from the 

 captives of the conquered lands; having reservoirs, filled with 

 lotus flowers, and with shedeh. ... I beautified thy city, 

 Thebes, with trees, plants, isi flowers, and menhet for thy 

 nostrils. . . I constructed for thee a majestic area in the 

 city of the north . . . supplied with luxuriant gardens 

 and promenades; with all sorts of date groves loaded with fruit, 

 and a consecrated avenue bright with blossoms of every kind, isi 

 plants, papyrus, and dedmet flowers in number like grains of 

 sand. ... I founded for it the garden Kanekeme in the 

 Delta, watered like the two lands in the great olive country, 

 bearing vines; surrounded by a wall . . . planted with 

 great trees in all its many paths, wherein oil was more plente- 

 ous than the sand of the shore." 



In all, Rameses III seems to have established about 514 

 gardens to the different gods. 



The enormous number of flowers employed in the religious 

 festivals is indicated by a list of the offerings for the new feasts 

 found by Rameses III. This includes, according to Breasted's 

 Ancient Records: Tall bouquets, 3,100; Garden fragrance, 15,500; 

 Isi plants, i24,35o;Garlands, 60,450; Blueflowers in ropes, 12,400; 

 Flowers for the hand, 46,500; Lotus flowers for the hand, 144,720; 



Lotus flower bouquets, 3,410; Papyrus flower bouquets, 68,200; 

 Papyrus stems, 349,000. 



There are a number of other trees and plants noted in the 

 tombs of the Theban Empire which perhaps deserve particular 

 mention; such as the Apple, the Juniper, Rosemary, Jasmine, 

 St. John's Bread, and Myrtle. The Chrysanthemum, the Rose, 

 the Heliotrope, and the Iris are also included. Among the 

 spices or condiments are cinnamon, mustard, cummin, succory, 

 and coriander. Vegetables which should be mentioned are the 

 artichoke, asparagus, and cucumber. 



In accordance with their belief that all things had a spiritual 

 double, the Egyptians assigned spirits to trees, which in poems 

 we find thinking and speaking much as human beings. One 

 such poem is the call of the Sycamore, or Wild Fig, to the 

 little daughter of the household to come and rest under its 

 shade on the festival day when the garden was in full bloom. 

 The verses are in part as follows: 



The little sycamore, 



Which she planted with her hand, 



Begins to speak, 



And its words are like drops of honey: 



It is charming, its bower is green, 



Greener than the papyrus. 



It is laden with fruit; 



The color of its leaves is as glass, 



Its stem is as the color of the opal; 



It is cool in its shadow. 



It sends a message by a little maiden, 



The daughter of the chief gardener. 



She makes haste to her beloved: 



"Come and linger in the garden. . . . 



The servants who belong to thee 



Are bringing beer of every kind 



With all manner of cakes, 



Flowers of yesterday and to-day, 



And all kinds of refreshing fruit. 



Come spend this festival day, 



And to-morrow, and the day after to-morrow, 



Sitting in my shadow. . . . 



I am of a silent nature 



I do not tell what I see, 



1 do not chatter." 



WALKS AND TALKS AT BREEZE HILL— VI 



J. HORACE McFARLAND 



Wherein is Reflective, Critical, Philosophical, and Friendly Comment About Plants 

 and Their Behavior, Inspired by Personal Experiences in a Garden Made for Pleasure 



;AST month I had something to say about Forsythia in 

 connection with a memorandum on Prinsepia sinensis. 

 It has since been possible to untangle the situation 

 respecting the better known Forsythias as I have them 

 at Breeze Hill, and I can emphasize, therefore, the feeling that 

 it is sheer nonsense to grow even Forsythia intermedia when far 

 better and more beautiful varieties can be grown with exactly 

 the same effort. 



Long ago the Arnold Arboretum called attention to the value 

 of Forsythia intermedia, which is a hybrid between F. viridissima 

 and F. europaea. Intermedia, therefore, wholly displaces 

 viridissima. But now comes the further advance that sub- 

 varieties of intermedia have developed, which are of peculiar 

 beauty and value. 



F. intermedia primulina is several days earlier, and its flowers 

 are paler than intermedia. The plant, therefore, is of value 

 because it adds color variation to this important family. 



But far and away the best of all is F. intermedia spectabilis. 

 It has more flowers, and larger flowers, and flowers of deeper 

 color than any of the other Forsythias. It pales its parent in- 

 termedia, and makes its culture unnecessary save for reference 

 purposes. This superb hybrid is just as vigorous as intermedia 

 and has an even better blooming habit. In fact, it is im- 

 possible to see how more flowers could be put in more orderly 

 and pleasing disposition on any plant than those that clothed 

 my plants of F. intermedia spectabilis last spring. The deeper 

 color adds a real and desirable advantage not at all to be 

 overlooked. 



Very rapidly the nursery resources on the Forsythias could 

 be changed if the nurserymen cared to get a little start in this 

 one "best bet" among the Forsythias. 



[And we are in full accord as to this best of all Forsythias, 

 which has also proved bud-hardy in the North, by the way, 

 when the other forms have suffered. — Ed.] 



