cool and shady retirement of their gardens, where, like the Romans, they entertained their friends during the summer season ; and, from the size of some of the kiosks which occur in the paintings of the tombs, we may conclude they were rather intended for this purpose, than for the sole use of the master of the villa. That the gardens were originally laid out with a view to utility, and were chiefly stocked with vegetables for the consumption of the family, is more than probable ; but, as riches and luxury increased, to the simple beds of herbs were added avenues of shady trees, and the usual variety of aromatic plants and ornamental flowers. It then became divided into different parts, distinguished by a peculiar name, according to the purposes for which they were intended; and the vineyard, orchard, kitchen and flowergarden, had each its own fixed limits, whose dimensions depended on the means or the caprice of its owner. Some of the richer individuals extended still further the range of their villas ; and a park (paradeisos) was added, which, independent of its fishponds and preserves for game, contained many different sections, as the gallinarium for keeping hens, the chenoboscium for geese, the stalls for fattening cattle, and for keeping the wild goats and other animals originally from the desert, whose meat was reckoned among the dainties of the table. It was in these extensive preserves that the rich amused themselves with the pleasures of the chase; and they also enclosed a considerable space in the desert with net fences, into which the animals were driven for the purpose of being hunted, though the usual custom in those districts was to course in view over the open plains.” (Ibid., p. 189.)

Orchard and Vineyard.— “ The large gardens were usually divided into different parts; the principal sections being appropriated to the date and sycamore trees, and to the vineyard. The former might be looked upon as the orchard; but similar enclosures being also allotted to other trees, they equally lay claim to this name: we cannot, therefore, apply a fixed appellation to any part but the vineyard itself.

“ Gardens are frequently represented in the tombs of Thebes and other parts of Egypt, many of which are remarkable for their extent. The one here introduced is shown to have been surrounded by an embattled wall, with a canal of water passing in front of it, connected with the river. Between the canal and the wall, and parallel to them both, was a shady avenue of various trees ; and about the centre was the entrance, through a lofty door, whose lintel and imposts were decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions, containing the name of the owner of the grounds, who, in this instance, was the king himself. In the gateway were rooms for the porter, and other persons employed about the garden, and, probably, the receiving-room for visiters, whose abrupt admission might be unwelcome; and, at the back, a gate opened into the vineyard. The vines were trained on a trelliswork, supported by transverse rafters resting on pillars ; and a wall, extending round it, separated this part from the rest of the garden. At the upper end were suites of rooms, on three different stories, and the windows looking upon green trees, and inviting a draught of air, made it a pleasant retirement in the heat of

On the outside of the vineyard wall were planted rows of palm trees, which occurred again with the dôms along the whole length of the exterior wall ; four tanks of water, bordered by a grass-plot, where geese were kept, and the delicate flower of the lotus was encouraged to grow, served for the irrigation of the grounds ; and smalled kiosks, or summerhouses, shaded with trees, stood near the water, and overlooked beds of flowers. The spaces containing the tanks, and the adjoining portions of the garden, were each enclosed by their respective separate walls, and a small subdivision on either side between the large and small tanks, seems to have been reserved for the growth of particular trees, which either required peculiar care, or bore a fruit of superior quality.

“ In all cases, whether the orchard stood apart from, or was united with, the rest of the garden, it was supplied, like the other portions of it, with abundance of water, preserved in spacious reservoirs, on either side of which

summer.

stood a row of palms, or an avenue of shady sycamores. Sometimes the orchard and vineyard were not separated by any wall, and figs and other trees were planted within the same limits as the vines. But, if not connected with it, the vineyard was close to the orchard, and they displayed much taste in the mode of training the vines. Rows of columns, supporting wooden rafters, divided the vineyard in numerous avenues, which afforded great facility for communication from one end to the other, and retained a certain degree of moisture at the roots by intercepting the rays of the sun.

“ The columns were frequently coloured, and were ornamental as well as useful; but many were simple wooden pillars, supporting, with their forked summits the poles that lay over them. Some vines were allowed to grow as standing bushes, and being kept low, did not require any support; others were formed into a series of bowers; and, from the form of the hieroglyphic signifying vineyard, we may conclude that the most usual method of training them was in bowers, or in avenues formed by rafters and columns. But they do not appear to have attached them to other trees, like the Romans and the modern Italians; nor have the Egyptians of the present day adopted this European custom.

" When the vineyard was enclosed within its own wall of circuit, it frequently had a reservoir of water attached to it, as well as the building which contained the winepress ; but the various modes of arranging the vineyard, as well as the other parts of the garden, depended, of course, on the taste of each individual, or the nature of the ground. Great care was taken to preserve the clusters from the intrusion of birds ; and boys were constantly employed about the season of the vintage to frighten them with a sling and the sound of the voice. When the grapes were gathered, the bunches were carefully put into deep wicker baskets, which men carried, either on their head or shoulders, or slung upon the yoke, to the winepress ; but, when intended for eating, they were put, like other fruits, into flat open baskets, and generally covered with leaves of the palm, vine, or other trees. These Aat baskets were of wickerwork, and similar, no doubt, to those of the present day used at Cairo for the same purpose, which are made of osiers or common twigs. Monkeys appear to have been trained to assist in gathering the fruit, and the Egyptians represent them in the sculptures handing down figs from the sycamore trees to the gardeners below; but, as might be expected, these animals amply repaid themselves for the trouble imposed upon them, and the artist has not failed to show how much more they consulted their own wishes than those of their employers.

“Many animals were tamed in Egypt for various purposes, as the lion, leopard, gazelle, baboon, crocodile, and others; and in the Jênıma country, which lies to the south of Abyssinia, monkeys are still taught several useful accomplishments. Among them is that of officiating as torch-bearers at a supper party; and seated in a row, on a raised bench, they hold the lights until the departure of the guests, and patiently await their own repast as a reward for their services. Sometimes a refractory subject fails in his accustomed duty, and the harmony of the party is for a moment disturbed, particularly if an unruly monkey throws his lighted torch into the midst of the unsuspecting guests; but the stick, and privation of food, are the punishments of the offender; and it is by these persuasive arguments alone that they are prevailed upon to perform their duty in so delicate an office.

“After the vintage was over, they allowed the birds to browse upon the vines which grew as standing bushes; and the season of the year when the grapes ripened in Egypt was the month Epiphi, towards the end of June or the commencement of July. Some have pretended to doubt that the vine was commonly cultivated, or even grown, in Egypt; but the frequent notice of it and of Egyptian wine in the scriptures, and the authority of ancient writers, sufficiently answer those objections ; and the regrets of the Israelites on leaving the vines of Egypt prove them to have been very abundant, since even people in the condition of slaves could procure the fruit.” (Ibid., vol. ii. p. 152.)

“ The winepress was of different kinds : a bag in which the grapes were put and squeezed by means of two poles turning in contrary directions, a vase being placed below to receive the falling juice; or a bag, supported in a frame in a horizontal position, one end of the bag fixed, and the other passing through a hole on the opposite side, this last end being twisted by means of a rod turned with the hand. In the Thebaïd, the grapes were generally pressed by the feet. Some of the presses were very ornamental, and are beautifully represented in the engravings. The foot-press of the Romans bore a strong resemblance to that of the Egyptians. After the wine was fermented, it was poured into earthenware jars, with or without handles, like the Roman amphoræ. These were closed with a lid, resembling an inverted saucer, covered with liquid clay, pitch, or mortar, stamped with a seal, and were then removed from the wine-house, and placed upright in the wine-cellar. The Egyptians had several kinds of wine; but that of Mareotis was the most esteemed, and in the greatest quantity. It is described as white, of excellent quality, sweet and light, with a fragrant bouquet, by no means astringent, or affecting the head." (Vol. ii. p. 161.)

“ The Fruit Trees cultivated by the ancient Egyptians were chiefly palms, more especially the date; but they had also figs, vines, pomegranates, the sycamore fig, the myxa (Cordia Myxa L.), the olive, peach, almond, locust, with a variety of others. (Vol. ii.

p. 182.) “ The houses and grounds of the Egyptians were superintended by stewards, who regulated the tillage of the farm, received the landlord's proportion of the produce, and, when necessary, punished the peasants who laboured on the estate.” (Vol. ü. p. 366.)

MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE.

ART. I. General Notices. PATENT flattened Crown Glass. — By means of this glass, in the ridge and furrow mode of roofing invented by Mr. Paxton, a very great improvement may be made in the construction of hot-houses, particularly botanic stoves. The patent flattened glass is so much thicker than the common crown glass, that it is in no danger of being broken by hail storms, even when used in panes 8 or 10 inches wide ; and, what deserves particular attention is, that these panes may be made 40 in. long at the same cost per foot as ordinary-sized panes. Hence, if a roof is constructed in the ridge and furrow manner, with the sides of the ridge not more than 40 in. in length, there will be no lap at all; and thus a botanic stove or pinery may be constructed absolutely air-tight, and much heat, which now escapes between the panes, saved. These long panes will also be of great use in glazing verandas, and even common flatroofed houses, sashes for pits, hot-bed frames, &c. The cost is from 1s. 3d. to 3s. per foot, according to the width of the pane, and the thickness of the glass. The immense conservatory at Chatsworth, and the curvilinear iron house now erecting in the Horticultural Society's Garden, are being glazed with this description of glass. We have also lately designed a veranda upwards of 300 ft. in length, which will be so glazed. Cond.

Setting the Blossoms of Stillwell's Sweetwater Grape is readily effected by brushing them over, when fully expanded, with a camel-hair pencil. This is practised by Mr. Pond, gardener to Lady Hood, at Whitly Abbey, near Coventry, with the greatest success. Stillwell's sweetwater will set best at 60°, while the muscat of Alexandria requires from 70° to 75o.-W. Brown. Merevale, Warwickshire, Sept. 1839.

Increasing the Number of Flowers produced by Prímula sinensis. This is done by pinching off the first crop of flowers when they appear in autumn, when the second crop will come out much stronger. Practised with the greatest success by Mr. Dowel, gardener to Sir George Chetwynd, Grendon, near Atherstone. - W. Brown. Merevale, Warwickshire, Sept. 1839.

;

Filling an Ice-House. — A pond, in the form of a parallelogram, somewhat wider at one end than at the other, is most convenient. A horse and cart, and four men, with two sieves, a mallet with a long handle, two two-pronged forks, and a hook at the end of a long stick, are all that is necessary, The cart is placed at one end; one man draws the ice forward with the hooked stick; another breaks it in small pieces with the mallet, and two throw it into the cart, each lifting it with a broad-meshed sieve tied to the end of a twopronged fork. Four loads in an hour are procured in this way. — Idem.

Forming artificial Climates. In the Philosophical Magazine for November, 1830, is a paper on this subject by Mr. J. S. Langton. The use of these is intended to save the expense of travelling into foreign countries. A dry and airy situation near the metropolis is supposed to be chosen ; a square of buildings, not less than 300 st. on a side, to be built on it; and the area within covered with glass, at the same height from the ground as the roofs of the buildings. Hollow cast-iron columns are to support this roof, and serve, at the same time, as spouts for conveying down from it the rain water; "and their slight variations of length from alternations of temperature, instead of being a disadvantage, might, on the contrary, be used as a self-acting means of regulating the quantity of ventilation, by having many of the glazed frames swung on their centres, and firmly connecting the short arms of levers attached to them with the bases of the columns, by long rods of wood, or other material not subject to practical variations of length by moderate changes of temperature; the difference of length thus obtained in the present case would be about one hundredth of an inch for every three degrees by Fahrenheit's thermometer ; a maximum of height is obtained by this material, with a minimum of diameter.” Upon the tops of columns 100 ft. high, there would be no more difficulty in placing detached roofs of iron or other material, additional labour and scaffolding excepted, than there would be in placing such roofs on the ground beneath. If wood were used for the frames of the sashes, the expense of keeping up the required temperature would be about 8 per cent less than if iron were used. Supposing the temperature to be kept up to about 52° during the winter months, and that no more ventilation is allowed in very cold weather than what escapes between the laps of the glass when very well fitted, then each foot of glazed surface would require about one fourth of a bushel of coals per annum.

There can be no difficulty in the creation of artificial climates, as far as mere temperature is concerned. This is abundantly proved by the success of gardeners with tropical flowers and fruits; but the difficulty, it appears to us, with reference to habitations for man, lies in providing dry air within when the exterior air is moist, and also in changing the air, without admitting the exterior air, and whatever of moisture it might be charged with. These difficulties may, probably, be overcome by keeping reservoirs of dry air, powerfully condensed, and drawing supplies from them when it might not be deemed advisable to admit the exterior air. Mr. Langton proposes to have “ shrubbery” in the space roofed in, and to have vines under the roof, which vines, he says, may be fairly expected to produce fruit to no inconsiderable amount. We confess we do not believe it possible to combine a proper artificial climate for vines, shrubbery, or any description of plants whatever, which should, at the same time, be suitable for the human species. Every one must be sensible of this whose sitting-room has opened into a conservatory. We submit these remarks for the consideration of Mr. Langton, whose scheme, with such amelioration as it may be found susceptible of, we should be most happy to see carried into execution. Mr. Langton will find from our Treatise on Hothouses, published so long ago as 1806, and also from different parts of the Encyclopædia of Gardening, that we have long entertained similar ideas; as did the late Dr. Anderson, author of Recreations in Agriculture and Natural History. — Cond. Irregularity of the Organs of Vegetables. -- On the 6th of June, M. Dutro

chet communicated some observations on this subject, which he considers as presenting a phenomenon similar to that which he has observed in some animals, viz. an invariable abortion of some of the parts, so that these plants are, in fact, consistent or perpetually recurring monstrosities. In an alpine cytisus, with terminal flowers, M. Dutrochet observed six petals, four disposed in a cruciform manner, and above them two contiguous petals placed alternately. The manner in which these last were placed proves that there must have been two others which have become abortions, so that the papilionaceous flowers were originally regular flowers, having eight petals disposed in two ranges alternately. Three of these petals constantly become abortions, and the five remaining ones form the standard, the two wings, and the two pieces of the keel. Irregular flowers are always lateral; when by chance they become terminal they resume their original regularity, because they have then equal room for developement on every side. (Jour. Ř. Inst.)

The Tanning Principle has been extracted from the common hemlock, by drying it, chopping it to pieces, boiling or steaming it, and evaporating the extract. (Newton's Journal, vol. ix. p. 480.)

Husking the Palm of Chile. - A curious method is employed to free the nut from the green husk in which it is enveloped ; a process that was formerly attended with great loss of time and labour. A number of cows and oxen are driven into an enclosure, where a quantity of the fruit is spread, and, being very fond of the husk, they immediately begin to feed on the fruit, only slightly masticating it in the first instance, and swallowing the whole ; afterwards, while chewing the cud, the nuts are rejected; and, when the meal is finished, a heap of them is found before each of the animals, perfectly free from the husk, the cattle being thus supplied with food at a season when little grass remains on the hills, at the same time that they effectually perform a very useful operation. (Botanical Miscellany.)

The Culture of Cabbage has undergone a great change in the neighbourhood of London within the last seven years. Formerly the most approved practice was to plant a crop in August or September, another in February or March, and a third in April or May. Now only one crop is planted in September. This is fit for use in the following May and June; and the second shoots, produced by the stools after the first heads are cut off, furnish abundance of cabbages during the remainder of the season. In this way, ground, anxiety, and labour are saved, and a greater certainty of supply is produced. I refer you to the Royal Kitchen-Gardens at Kew, where this method is practised with complete success by the present excellent kitchen-gardener there, Mr. Aldridge. The same mode is also practised at Bromley Hill, in Kent; and at Ashridge, near Tring, in Hertfordshire. The kind of cabbage generally planted for this purpose is the Peignton, Penton, or Vanack, which will continue producing heads fit for use, even while it is flowering and ripening seeds. I believe, however, that any kind of free-growing cabbage may be used; only some kinds require to be well watered in very dry weather, which is not the case with the Vanack. — John Tims. Brentford, Sept. 1839.

Fastening Trees to Walls. - Possibly you may entirely disapprove of the following mode of fastening fruit trees to a wall, which, it seems, was rather prevalent about 1722. At all events, if you can spare a short space from your crowded pages, it may be curious to preserve what was once recommended by a gardener so eminent in his day as Stephen Switzer, from whose Practical Fruit-Gardener the following extract is taken.-A Constant Reader. June, 1829.

" The best way of fastening trees to a wall is by little round wooden pegs, made of the heart of oak, driven into the wall between the bricks, to which may be tied all the small branches, with the juncus or small rush that grows in watery places ; and all the great boughs, requiring more strength, may, with small withies made of osiers or basket-rods, be tied to large wooden pegs, that are here and there interspersed in the wall, where occasion shall require. The conveniences of this method will be found to be, that as soon as the fruit boughs swell out to the extent of the rush or withy, that band will easily give way, and not pinch or damage the tree, and the pegs. of wood