Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-01-18

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT AN INTEREST
ING sUBJECT.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT AN INTEREST
ING SUBJECT.
It will be remembered that what We have
written on the carly history of gardening is
one condensed from O rare work of some
1900 pages. In Spain it is recorded that
not until the eighteenth century did they be-
gin to repair the roads about Madrid and to
border them with trees. The Arabs OF Spain
attended agriculture, and translated and
commented on ancient authors. Though oc-
cupied more particularly in the study of med
icine and botany, they did not neglect the
culture of gardens. Elm Alevan has left a
list of plants in the garden of Seville. more
numerous than those which were cultivated
by the Greeks and Romans. The Oldest
garden in Spain is said to be that of the
Moorish palace Of AleaZer, near Seville. 1t
is said to have been laid out by the Moors.
and is preserved in its original state. 1t
contains walks paved with marble, and par
teries laid out with everpreens and shaded
with orange trees. In the beginning with
the fifteenth century, soon after the union of
SPAN under one monarch, Charles V. made
considerable improvements, and formed gar
dens and fountains at different places, OF
which little now remains. In the beginning
Of the seventeenth century, under the reign
of Philip ", were laid out the first gardens
curial in Madrid, of ndefonso in its neigh
borhood, and of Arsngeuz, near Toledo.
The gardens of lldefonso are considered by
many persons as superior to those of Yer
sailles, being made delightful by the fine
stately woods OF lime, oak, elm, horse-chest-
nut, and other forest trees. Perhaps there
is not throughout Spain people SO passion
ately fond of flowers as the Valencians. They
employ themselves exclusively as florists,
and find it n profitable employment. 1t is
the only place in Spain where they grow
pinks Of u hluo color. The only botanical
gardens existing at the present period in
SPAN are, that of Madrid, which Is demon
mated the Royal Botanical Garden those
belonging to the four schools Of pharmacy,
established at Madrid, Seville, Barcelona,
and Santiago that of the college t;surgery
at Cadiz that of the University of Valencia
and that belonging to the board of COM
merce of Barcelona, devoted principally to
agricultural botany. Horticulture has made
but little progress in Spain, and though the
fruits are more numerous than those of any
other European country, 1t is now practised
these with very little attention to art. Gull
nary herbs and roots are not much attended
to in Spain. Tomatoes are cultivated to a
grea. extent as they are indispensable as gar
lies in Spanish cookery. The best wine in
Spain Is made from the Val de Penas VALLEY
OF Stones) in La Manchs. Ropes are made
in CordovIfrom toe fibres Of the Agave land
Inglis tells US that tbe flower stalks are cut
into light beams for the construction OF cot
tages
In Portugal gardening is very little attend
cd to as an art OF design and taste. The
country se0ts of the nobility are generally in
ruins, and many even of the royal residences
have an air of desolation. As an art Of cul-
ture Portugal is also lamentsbly deficient,
and though possessed of great natural ad-
yantages. there is want of assiduous indus
try on the part OF her inhabitants In Lis
bon or its environs there are said to be no
such things as nursery grounds, flower shops,
or gardens regularly bred to the profession.
and living upon its resources. There are
two botanic gardens, one at Lisbon and one
at Coinbra both are however, in a state of
neglect
Of gardening in what is now European
Turkey, when that country was under the
Romans, nothing is known. The modern
tastes for gardens in Turkey, is materially
Influenced by the national character and the
nature of the climate. Gardens of taste are
considered places of shade, repose and luIu-
rious enjoyment not of active recreation or
q varied display Of verdant scenery. The
gardens Of the Sultan at Constantinople
have received great celebrity, but according
TO DIR. Poguevile, they do not deserve 1t,
being lily kept. The lockwood, so much
used for wood engraving, is largely Imported
from Turkey, where it grows wild on the
rocky surfaces cf the country, both on the
European and on the Asiatic shores. Land
scapes gardening cannot be expected to
be pTactised in such a country, because the
Grand signor has no country residence. with
parks aud pleasure grounds attached, and
there Is no aristocracy or wealthy CONNER
cial or manufacturing class The only scene
recorded In Turkey, where the landscape
gardener can display his art is in the burial
ground, and here his resources are limited
to the indigenous trees OF the country and
the prescribed forms OF Tel sion. In Euro
pesn Turkey. Greece, and Albania, the culti-
yation OF flowers has ever found favor, and
no expense is spared for the procuring Of
such plants as have fine flowers. The PiScd-
tutiu fereJi,,ttesis is common about CONSTANT
nople Il affords the fine resinous oil called
cypress turpentine. The trees grow Of i'm
mense size, Notwithstanding they are some
times epiphytical, growing out of other trees.
phenomenon Of this kind exists at the pro-
monatory of Chacedon, where an enormous
ficatacia Is growing out OF more enoI-
nous cypress. The PiScdticd idItIscuS, which
f@SN0 thc transparent gum Chiicu pioo'iNt
is common IN the island of Scio. Of PrlDius
cerasus, two varieties. The first of the varie-
ties is cherry of enormous size, which
grows along the northern coast of Asia Minor,
from whence came the original cherry into
Europe. The second variety is an amber
colored transparent cherry, Of delicious hav-
or. The trees there are recorded as growing
frequently 90 to 100 feet in height and there
loaded with fruit. VitaT Agnas Ldstus, found
on the banks of all the rivers of Greece, was
once called agnos tlamb) by the ancients. be-
cause carried by the priestesses to the feast
of Ceres, q lamb being the usual animal sac
rifeed. More might yet be written of the
early history of gardening. but horticulture
beyond the natural productions of the coun-
try is pursued to a very limited extent, as
compared with the United States. -ueutldnd
Herald.