126 
EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE. 
European &griculmre—No. 2. 
My last letter from Nismes being written after a 
very hurried journey through France, at a compara¬ 
tively uninteresting season of the year, conveyed but 
little information respecting the state either of horti¬ 
culture or agriculture in that country. 
Culture of the Olive. —The section of level land 
lying between Nismes and Montpelier is cultivated 
chiefly with olives, and the Frontignac and several 
other fine varieties of grapes. The olives had just 
been gathered and pressed. This tree does not bear 
until it is ten years of age, but is very long lived. I 
saw some at this place which are known to have ex¬ 
isted in the time of Caesar. Surrounded by an abund¬ 
ance of food as we are in America, it is difficult for 
us to estimate the very great importance of the olive 
to the poorer classes in France. Requiring no culti¬ 
vation, and no further labor than to gather the fruit 
and express the oil, it can be afforded at a cheap rate. 
This oil with coarse bread constitutes almost the en¬ 
tire food of the lower classes of France and Italy. 
They have also some cheap kinds of light wine, at 
a few sous per bottle, which is much used. 
Culture of Grapes. —The cultivation of the grape in 
Europe is a subject in which I feel much interested, and 
on which I have already obtained some information. 
After being accustomed to the extensive glass vineries 
of Boston, Philadelphia, and Flushing, I was forcibly 
impressed with the great simplicity of its culture both 
in France and Italy. In some instances planted in 
sandy or gravelly soil, in which scarcely anything 
else would grow, without stake or trellis to support 
them, and consisting of two branches, each pruned 
down to three buds, they are made to produce some 
of the finest fruit in the country. In other instances 
they are tied to stakes and trellises, and moderately 
manured. It is very desirable to obtain some varie¬ 
ties of these delicious European grapes, that will suc¬ 
ceed well with us in the open air. That such can 
be obtained, I have no doubt; for they are found 
flourishing upon some of the most exposed points of 
the Alps, and where there is a foot or more of snow 
during the winter. An American gentleman of dis¬ 
tinguished literary merit, and some time a resident of 
Italy, has been making a collection of these vines, 
and through his kindness I hope to send some of 
them to Flushing this spring in time for planting out. 
By another year we shall, in this case, be able to test 
them fully, and to aid, perhaps, in introducing to the 
lovers of good fruit in America some new and very 
superior hardy varieties of the grape. I much regret 
that my visit here is not during the vintage ; at that 
season I should have full opportunity of seeing the 
different varieties, and testing their respective merits. 
Dr. Delile. —At Montpelier I had the pleasure of 
seeing Dr. Delile; he called on me only a short time 
before I left, and I had therefore but a limited time 
for conversation with him. He is a very interesting 
man of about fifty, and is at the head of the Medical 
School and director of the Botanic Garden, at Mont¬ 
pellier, one of the best establishments of the kind in 
France. He is enthusiastically attached to horticul¬ 
ture, and gave me much valuable information respect¬ 
ing its condition in France and Belgium. His botanic 
garden has in it one of the only two trees of the 
Ginglco biloba in Europe, that have borne fruit. 
Route to Rome. —From Montpellier we went via 
Cette to Marseilles, and thence, via Genoa and Leg¬ 
horn, to Civita Yecchia, the seaport of Rome. At 
Genoa, the city of palaces, I visited one or two fine 
gardens. The Pescari palace has some fine grottoes 
and fountains, good statuary, very large orange trees 
and camellias in the open ground, and in bloom. 
There was also a conservatory and pineries. 
Villas and Gardens of Rome. —It has taken me 
some days to examine in detail the most important 
villas near Rome. The style of gardening in all of 
them is strictly artificial, and where consistently car¬ 
ried out is strikingly novel and beautiful. The Villa 
Pamphilia is the most elegant one near Rome. It 
is situated on a farm four or five miles in circuit, a 
large part of which is laid out in drives, walks, and 
terraces—in one place bordered with a large extent of 
beautiful turf, and in others with groves of large 
trees of the cypress, the cork, oak, and the stone 
pine; the conical thick foliage of the former, contrast¬ 
ing finely with the flat, close top and picturesque ap¬ 
pearance of the latter. There were also long hedges 
of tree-box and laurel, 12 or 15 feet high, entirely 
impenetrable and perfectly flat on the top and sides; 
beautifully close hedges of our common monthly 
rose, well trimmed and in bloom. All the grounds 
were studded with fountains, grottoes, and statues. A 
parterre graced the front of the house, and a smal. 
forcing house was placed on one side. But the most 
beautiful things of all, and the effect of which it is 
impossible to describe, were the long arbors of oranges 
and lemons, the rich glossy foliage covering the 
whole outside, and the bright yellow fruit hanging in 
clusters within ; while on the ground beneath were 
camellias, ericas, and other exotic plants. This villa 
gave me a very good idea of the Italian style of land¬ 
scape gardening, and was beautiful beyond descrip¬ 
tion. Prince Torlonia, a rich banker, has been 
recently planting a villa in the English style of land¬ 
scape gardening, and has politely sent me a card to 
visit it, which 1 shall do to-morrow. 
Tivoli. —We have just returned from Tivoli in the 
mountains, interesting from its beautiful cascades and 
scenery, and for the ruins of a palace of Adrian, 
which was immense, covering a space one mile and a 
half in circuit. Tivoli is a charming spot, with pure 
mountain air and scenery not easily surpassed. 
Domestic Stock. —They have good cattle here, but 
none that will compare with the English Buffaloes 
are used in the campagna, and the oxen are often 
handsome, with horns sometimes three feet in length. 
The cows are small, and much like our native cows in 
form. It is amusing to see the peasants milking them 
from between the legs behind / where a single kick 
will send milker and milk both topsy-turvy! Be¬ 
sides these, they use the milk of goals and asses. 
There is a milk establishment opposite my window, 
and the donkeys bray lustily every morning, by way 
of reveille. Their milk is said to be particularly rich. 
The old Roman breed of horses is still kept up, and 
I have seen uniformly better horses here than in any 
other city. They are not large; are of a glossy 
black, well formed, with thick mane, and a tail 
sweeping the ground. Agriculture in Italy 7 is a cen¬ 
tury behind the age. For a plow they use a narrow 
triangular piece of plank, with a stake put on one 
end for a handle, and the oxen draw it over rather 
than through the soil, by their horns. 
Rome , Feb. 14, 1845. S. B. Parsons. 
