541. Of the horticulture of Turkey little is known, or how far the use of gardens is general. 'The capital of the Turkish empire,' T. Thornton observes (Present State of Turkey, 1822), 'though the soil in its immediate vicinity is barren and ungrateful, receives from the neighbouring villages, and from the surrounding coasts of both the seas which it commands, all the culinary herbs and fruits of exquisite flavour which the most fastidious appetite can require. On the shores on both sides of the Bosphorus the ground forms a chain of schistous hills, covered with vineyards and gardens, and beautiful trees and shrubs; and the valleys, which are exceedingly fertile, are in the highest state of cultivation.'
