April 30, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
851 
cleanliness has no equal on earth, save, perhaps, in tha*' of the cobra, or 
amaclriad of India; but we will not disturb his noonday s’uniber, for we 
are just entering the vineyards surrounded by Dates, and probab'y tbe 
Doum Palnns of Upper K.gypt. 
You need feel no surprise at our fin'^in" so many foreign trees and 
flowers in these Babylonian gardens. It was a custom in early ages for 
eastern potentates to exact of tributary nations that they should pay a 
lX)rtion of their imposts in the grain and plants of their country; as a 
consequence, therefore, an abundance of rare flowers—rare everywhere 
else even in the favourable scjason—found their way into the groves of 
Nimrod, and were cultivated with such care that during the entire year 
round the apartments of the Babylonian monarchs were graced with the 
richest floral tributes (interspersed with wreaths of Papyrus), which 
only the most experienced amongst these old world horticulturists 
could possibly produce. I am convinced, after many careful inspections 
in the British Museum of the monuments and tablets of the ancients, 
that a Nimrod or a Pharaoh would countenance nothing short of per¬ 
fection either in the arts of horticulture or architecture, and I may 
mention in passing that only a fortnight ago as I strolled through the 
Assyrian room in our great national repository, I was struck by the 
delicacy of outline and the marvellous mastership which seems to have 
characterised the lapidaries of ancient Babylon. After admiring .several 
exquisite wall carvings of the great king Assur-Nasir-Pal, B.c. 880, my 
attention was drawn to a tablet of the same epoch, upon which was 
depicted certain fugitives swimming for refuge to a certain castle when 
sorely pressed by Assyrian archers. In the background of the scene 
before us we are struck by the beautiful outline of Date Palms, and 
what appears to me a Palm intended to represent the Doom, of which I 
have already spoken (of the identity of this, however, I am in doubt) ; 
but passing on to tablets 27 and 32 we find elaborate outlines of priests 
offering flowers (no doubt this would take place in the great Temple of 
Bel). I counted the petals of these flowers, and in tablet 27 found 
there were eight, and in that of 32 twelve; and again in tablet 31 a 
winged figure was represented making a similar pre.sentation. In this 
instance, too, there were eight petals to each of the three flowers which 
formed the offering ; in form the flowers are somewhat like a single 
Dahlia. 
But to return. We had entered the vineyards, when for a moment 
we deviated to glance at the monuments. Well, after winding our way 
through these vineyards and labyrinthine groves, where silvery fountains 
played, surrounde<l by Myrtle and Olives, under the shadow of which 
colonies of plaintive Bul-buls dwelt and thrilled your very heart by 
their deep pathos, we find ourselves approaching one of those stupendous 
artificial works, which, whilst being characteristic of the ancients for its 
magnitude, has been ranked amongst the seven wonders of the world 
because of its unique charaeter. I refer to the banging gardens of the 
Babylonian Palace, of which we have already spoken. Nothing could be 
more wonderful than these so-called hanging gardens, which Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar causer! to be constructed in order to gratify the wish of his 
Queen Amytis to possess elevated groves, such as in her earlier days she 
had enjoyed on the hills around her native place of Ecbatana in 
Media. For this purpose an artificial mountain was reared in the form 
of a sqirare of 400 feet on eaeh side, with terraces rising one above 
another to a height overtopping the walls of the city, and wdren we 
remember that the city walls were some 350 feet in height w'e must 
feel amazed in contemplating the gigairtic proportion of this artificial 
garden rearing its head to a height far beyond that of the cross of St. 
Paul’s. The ascent from terrace to terrace was by steps 10 feet wide ; 
the terraces were reared to their several si ages on ranges of regular piers 
over 75 feet high, which, forming a kind of vaulting, rose in succe.ssion 
one over the other to the required height of each terrace, the whole 
being'bound together by a wall 22 feet thick. The-e measurements 
were arrived at during excavation amongst the ruins of this ancient 
Babylonian city. 
The floor of each terrace or garden was formed in the following 
manner;—On the tops of the pie^s was fiist laid a pavement of flat 
stones, 16 feet in length and 4 in breadth, over which was a layer of 
reeds mixed with a great quantity of bitumen or mineral pitch, the 
most perfectly inflammable mineral known. It burns with a bituminous 
smell, and was doubtless what we now designate petroleum ; its principal 
source was the fountains of Is, the modern Hit, on the banks of the 
Euphrates. The layer of reeds was in turn covered with two courses of 
bricks closely cemented together with plaster, while over all these were 
placed thick sheets of lead, on which was laid the earth or mould of 
the garden. This floor was designed to retain the moisture of the mould, 
and in order to provide a sufficient depth for the largest trees to take 
firm root hollow piers were built and filled with earth, and water was 
forced into these piers from beneath, thus securing to timber trees the 
necessary degrees of moisture. Upon the uppermost of the terraces of 
which we have spoken reservoirs were constructed and supplied with 
water from the Euphrates by means of an engine, and from these 
reservoirs the several terraces or gardens were irrigated as occasion 
required, the work being performed by legions of Ethiopian slaves, 
whose labours were regulated by experienced men, and who like the 
ancient Greek philosophers, appreciated not less the efficacy of the Vine 
than the my.stic charm which attached to the Myrtle; men with 
whom, I doubt not, our friends would by no means have thought it 
derogatory to shake hands and hob-a-irob awhile, the better to settle 
some vexed question concerning the growth and culture of Ambrosia, 
an odorous i)lant which yielded the fabled food of the gods, and 
according to the mythology of the ancients produced immortality to 
whomsoever partook of it. 
We have now taken a hastv glance at Babylon, its antiquity, il.s 
magnitude, palaces, princely benefactors, and, lastly, its banging 
gardens. Of course the name applied to the latter aiises fiom the dense 
hanging foliage each terrace garden ])rejented as they rose one above 
another, until an altitude was reached at which the luxuriant tropical 
vegetation appeared almost ethereal as each Palm frond stood or hung 
out against an opal sky on the one hand, or vanished altogether in the 
deep gloom of shadow on the other. It remains for us now to take just 
a passing glance at the trees and shrubs which in all probability graced 
these garden terraces, but here on the very threshold of our investiga¬ 
tion we are met with an almost insuperable difficulty; so little is known 
concerning the horticulture of the period of which we are speaking, 
that at best our decisions can be but speculative. I have already 
remarked that it was a custom of the Nimrods no less than of other 
Eastern rulers to exact of their conquered neighbours ceitain imposts 
in the form of grain and plants. I do not mean to convey by this that 
ancient Babylon and its environs were absolutely destitute of indigenous 
botanical features. On the contrary, its situation upon the Euphrates 
must naturally difpel such a notion, but at the same time its propinquity 
to the Syrian de.sert, and consequent exposure to the hot winds which 
periodically sweep over the land, parching as with the breath of a 
furnace everything living, are reasons, I venture to think, aptly calcu¬ 
lated to effectually dispel any leanings we may have entertained in 
favour of a luxuriant indigenous vegetation. At any rate we have very 
little reliable data upon which to build up an hypothesis favourable to 
such an opiirion, and at best the monuments are but fragmentary. Our 
only alternative, therefore, is to turn to those countries where the power 
and influence of Babylon was felt as the best interpretation of the 
sources whence its botanical wealth was drawn. From Egypt, Palestine, 
India, Ethiopia, and Arabia the majority of the beautiful trees, 
shrubs, and flowers which graced the hanging gardens of Nebuchadnezzar 
doubtless came, and though it were idle to speculate upon the particular 
nature and character of its botanical features, we shall not err very 
considerably when we sum up in the few concluding words the general 
appearance of the various terraces of these gardens as they presented 
themselves in all the varied beauty^ of tropical luxuriance. 
The uppermost terraces were planted with the Date Palm, and from 
it were made bread, honey, wine and vinegar, and even articles of 
clothing ; on the next series of terraces the Theban, or Doum Palm, 
flourished, standing out in marked contrast to the Date. On the next 
stage we find the Benzoin, a tall tree (Styrax Benzoni), a native of Siam 
and the East Indies ; it was eultivated on account of its gum, which 
was doubtless used in the manufacture of incense for use in the Temple 
of Bel. The Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica) is said to have been 
found there, y^et, despite its name, is not only not a native of Babylon, but 
in these day's is not even known there. The Oleander in all probability 
flourished amongst the shrubs. The Olive, too, rvas common, parti¬ 
cularly the Olea fragrans, with white flowers of exquisite fragrance 
and in all probability the common Olea europaea, found all over 
Palestine. On another of these terrace gardens may have been seen the 
Boswellia serrata or thurifera of India, which produced the 
frankincense, used in conjunction with Benzoin in Temple worship. 
The Myrtle (Myrtus tomentosa) of India, with dark purple berries of 
aromatic sweetness, and several kinds of Mimosa and Acacia, doubtless 
flourished, but amongst so many hundreds it would be idle to speculate 
upon their species, though doubtless they would be natives of India or 
Ethiopia. 
The remaining terraces were planted with Mulberry trees. Pome¬ 
granates, the Tamarisk, and Egyptian Privet, said to have been a 
flower of Paradise. Of the flowers which added beauty to these gardens 
we are in doubt: Violets, however, and a species of Lily flourished, and 
probably a kind of Kose, and by the watercour^^cs the Lotus was 
trained, but beyond this it would be idle to speculate. We may,, 
however, flatter ourselves that in spite of the stupendous character of 
these gardens they can lay no claim to comparison with moderit 
horticulture, which is one of the noblest arts, and those to whom its- 
perfection is indebted are the most enviable amongst men. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines. —Earlwat Fon'rd House .—On early 
varieties the ripening fruit must be kept dry. also the foliage, but 
the border must not be allowed to become very dry, or it will act 
injuriously upon the growth and affect the form,ation and maturation 
of the buds for future bearing. As the fruit of tbe other varieties will 
not be ripe for some time, keep the atmosphere moist by frequent 
sprinkling daring the day, syringing in the morning, and again when 
closing the house. The night temperature will be perfectly safe at 
65° to 70°, but 5° less, though it will retard the ripening, will not tax 
the energies of the trees so much as the higher temperatures. 
Fruit Stoning .—During this proce.s3 the trees re. st not be hurried;; 
60° to 65° at night is ample, and 70° to 75° by day, avoiding high night 
