    # File lib/chef/resource/deploy.rb, line 285
          def environment(arg=nil)
            if arg.is_a?(String)
              Chef::Log.debug "Setting RAILS_ENV, RACK_ENV, and MERB_ENV to `#{arg}'"
              Chef::Log.warn "[DEPRECATED] please modify your deploy recipe or attributes to set the environment using a hash"
              arg = {"RAILS_ENV"=>arg,"MERB_ENV"=>arg,"RACK_ENV"=>arg}
            end
            set_or_return(
              :environment,
              arg,
              :kind_of => [ Hash ]
            )
          end