THE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF PADUA. 
475 
confined to its particular subject—the use of artificial manures 
in a garden—nothing has been said about cultivation, the 
foundation of all gardening; nothing about dung, which may be 
regarded as the basis of all manuring; nothing about the use of 
lime : these are all points that cannot be neglected. No artificial 
manure will make up for slovenly cultivation ; rather they 
demand greater care in this direction; but the object of the 
paper has been to indicate and explain the fact that artificial 
manures give additional scope to the gardener’s art, and that in 
the hands of a skilful man they may be used to still further 
combat the difficulties that arise from soil or climate. 
THE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF PADUA. 
By “ Islander.” 
In the year 1538, at the suggestion of Bonafede, a new chair 
was created in the University of Padua and called “ Lectura 
Semplicium.” This chair was intended for teaching botany, 
and is with right claimed to have been the first of its kind in 
Europe to give public lectures on botanical science. 
Later on the want was felt of illustrating these lectures with 
practical examples, and in consequence in the year 1545 the 
botanical garden was created for this purpose. (Fig. 110.) 
The botanical garden of Padua occupies an area of 20,664 
square metres, in the middle of which a circular space, having a 
diameter of 84 metres, is especially reserved for the different 
families of plants, according to the natural order of Jussieu. 
Nearly the whole garden is surrounded by the Alicorno Canal, 
which at a certain place is captured and by means of a hydrophore 
(dating from 1575) is made to pass through the whole garden. 
In the year 1593 leaden tubing was laid, and at present seventeen 
fountains supply the watering power of the garden. 
This marvellous old garden, the oldest in the whole world, 
has many rare plants to show, some of which are almost as old 
as the garden itself. 
* Of these first and foremost must be mentioned the veteran 
Vitex Agnus-castus, which was planted in the year 1550, and 
was spoken of by Bauhin in 1650 as being then one of the sights 
of the garden. It is over 5 metres high and has a circumference 
