135.Horticulture has made little progress in Italy. It is not in Italy, Simond observes, that horticulture is to be studied; though nowhere is more produced from the soil by culture, manure, and water: but forcing or prolonging crops is unknown; every thing is sown at a certain season, and grows up, ripens, and perishes together. The variety is not great; they have only three or four sorts of cabbage, not more of kidney-beans, and one of pea; the red and white beet, salsify, scorzonera, chervil, sorrel, onion, shallot, and Jerusalem artichoke, are in many parts unknown: but they have the cocomera, or water-melon, every where. In Tuscany and Lombardy, it is raised on dung, and then transplanted in the fields; and its sugary, icy pulp forms the delight of the Italians during the whole month of August. Though they have walls round some gardens, they are in many places ignorant of the mode of training trees on them. (Tableau de l'Agriculture Toscane, 8vo, 1801.)
