STOCK OR GILLYFLOWER. 29 



black, their caps too high, their petticoats too 

 short, their language an unintelligible jargon, 

 their houses old, their inns dirty, the country too 

 open, the roads too straight ; in short, he saw 

 every thing with such discontented eyes as to 

 render the party uncomfortable, until good fortune 

 led us to a rustic inn, where in a small garden 

 were growing several fine Stocks, which he affirm- 

 ed were the first good things he had seen since 

 he left Sussex; and on hearing L'H6tesse ac- 

 knowledge them as Giroflier de Brompton, he in- 

 sisted on halting at her house, where he treated 

 the party with tin dejum ct la fourchette, and left 

 the village with a sprig of the Brompton Stock 

 in his button-hole, his eyes sparkling with cham- 

 pagne and good humour, which lasted for the re- 

 mainder of the journey, during which time he 

 often said, " Thanks to the Brompton Stock." 



We shall now proceed to lay down rules for 

 obtaining the Stock in its highest perfection. 

 The first and material point is the choice of seed, 

 which should be saved from those plants that 

 have their petals increased to five or six, as the 

 full flowers never produce seed, yet it is the 

 opinion of most gardeners that they assist in 

 causing other plants to become double, and it 

 will be observed that there is frequently a strag- 

 gling anther to be found in the double blossoms 



