FLOATING GARDENS. 
107 
ARTICLE III. 
THE FLOATING GARDENS OF CASHMERE. 
COMMUNICATED BY J. T. 
Extracted from Notices of the Natural Productions and Agriculture of Cashmere. 
From the Manuscript Paper of the late Mr. Wm. Moor croft, Published in 
the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, Vol. 2. 
The city of Cashmere is situated in the midst of numerous lakes, 
connected with each other, and with the river Vedusta, by canals, 
separated by narrow lines, and insulated plots of ground; in some 
localities, so far raised above the water-line, as to be out of danger 
of inundations, which are not uncommon, and, indeed, become an¬ 
nually more frequent, through the neglect of the government in not 
checking the accumulating growth of weeds and mud, which dimin¬ 
ish the depth of the lakes, and consequently increase their surface. 
These circumstances have suggested an expedient by which cer¬ 
tain vegetables are cultivated in safety, and so that they derive as 
much moisture as may he beneficial to them without being exposed 
to the risk of being destroyed. This is effected through the medium 
of a floating support, of which the buoyancy and flexibility prevent 
the plants sinking into the mass, or being partially covered with it. 
Various aquatic plants spring from the bottom of the lakes, as water 
lillies, confervse, sedges, reeds, &c. and as the boats which traverse 
these waters, take generally the shortest line they can persue, to the 
place of their destination, the lakes are in some parts cut as it were 
into avenues separated by beds of sedges and reeds. In these places 
then, the farmer establishes his cucumber and melon-floats, by cutting 
off' the roots of the aquatic plants just mentioned, about two feet 
under the water, so that they completely lose all connexion with the 
bottom of the lake, hut retain their former situation in respect to 
each other. When thus detached from the soil, they are pressed 
into somewhat closer contact, and formed into beds of about two 
yards in breadth, and of an indefinite length. The heads of the 
sedges, reeds, and other plants of the float are cut off, laid on its sur¬ 
face, and covered with a thin coat of mud, which at first interrupted 
in its descent, gradually sinks into the mass of matted roots. The 
bed floats, but is kept in its place by a stake of willow drawn through 
it at each end, which admits of its rising and falling, in accoinmoda- 
