उपवनविनोद (आचार्य शार्ङ्गधर - वृक्षायुर्वेद, भू-जल संधान एवं उद्यान-विज्ञान सटीक)

32 UPAVANA VINODA
temperate zones of the world; a dahlia with its disagreeable odour driven out,
and in its place the odour of the magnolia blossom substituted; a chestnut tree
which bears nuts in eighteen months from the time of seed planting, etc., etc.¹"
Like other branches of applied art or science in ancient India Arbori-Horti-
culture had developed under the patronage of kings and aristocracy. Marvels
or extraordinary results were achieved by the specialists and experts from
time to time in different branches, and, as the ancient records clearly indicate,
did not pass unnoticed or unrewarded. The Uddānapālas (Uyyānopālas)
or experts under whose charge the royal gardens were placed had ample
opportunities of making their experiments, and incentive to producing marvellous
results was, of course, the expectation of recognition and reward. We have
not a full information of all Botanical marvels achieved by the ancient Indian
experts in Horticulture. But there is one Buddhist Birth-story, the Dadhivāhana
Jātaka, which records the interesting instance of a twofold marvel: (1) of
bringing in conditions by which a mango tree bearing wonderfully sweet
fruits began to bear fruits with bitter taste, and (2) of restoring the former
sweetness of the fruits. Whether scientifically correct or not the means
whereby this change was made possible, are said to have been this: that the
tree was caused to be closely surrounded by nimba trees so that the roots
of the latter might form an intimate connection with those of the mango tree,
and to be entwined and overgrown with the Paggava plant (evidently a
parasitic creeper) to inject its bitter sap into the host plant. In restoring
the normal condition of the mango tree not only the nimba trees and Paggava
creeper were completely removed, roots and branches, but the whole infected
soil was also replaced by fresh nutritious earth, well scented.
The Birth-Story further mentions 'the early blossoming of trees out of
season' (akālapupphani pupphapento) and 'the early bearing of fruits out
of season' (akālaphalāni gaṇhāpento), as two among the accomplishments
of the expert. In the same connection we learn that the improvement of a
species or a variety depends primarily on the selection of seeds, the soil and
the condition under which plants grow.
XV. ASCERTAINMENT OF THE PRICES OF THINGS
A chapter² in the Bṛhatsaṁhitā is devoted towards the subject, which is
translated below:—

1. "One can infer the cheapness of commodities and success of crops by
   1 S. B. H. 16, pp. 178-179; for details see New Creations in Plant Life by Harwood. Mac-
   millan & Co. 1905.
   2 Chap. 29, Vol. I, pp. 422-426. Sanskrit ed. Here the translation is author's.
   See also Verspreide Geschriften—H. Kern, Vol. I, pp. 268-269, Eng. trans.