176 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



ern, and Central provinces of China, where 

 it is called "Seosi," or " Knra-Mats- 

 Momi." It is quite hardy in this countrj-, 

 of quick growth, and a fine tree for the 

 shrubbery or for furnisliing. The leaves 

 come in bundles on the adult branches, 

 and singly on leading shoots and young 

 plants, aud are quite deciduous. When 



young, the leares are of a fresh, light 

 green, hut in autumn assume a rich, 

 golden hue, which gives it a distinct cha- 

 racter in the scenery of that season. It 

 will eventually be known aa the Golden 

 pine, and will be prized for its exquisite 

 beauty in autumn scenery. [Price 31s. 

 each. 



A TOUE EOUND MY GAEDEIS-.* 



Db. Johxson could think of but one book 

 that was worth a second perusal, and that 

 was " Don Qiuxote." As the Doctor 

 thought there was no flower to equal a 

 cauliflower, and felt not a single emotion 

 of pleasure at beholding a sublime land- 

 scape, we cannot suppose that a " Tom- 

 Round my Garden" would have held his 

 attention for a single hour. But if you 

 really would make acquaintance with a 

 book worth reading through a hundred 

 times, here it is. Alphonse Rarr, the 

 eloquent feuilletonist, the enthusiastic 

 grower of roses, the amateur, par excel- 

 lence, in all that belongs to the queendom of 

 Flora, makes his own garden the subject 

 of a book, by the description of an imagi- 

 nary tour round it. A friend leaves him 

 to make a tour of the world, and in his 

 absence Rarr explores his garden, and the 

 result is a series of chapters on botany, 

 entomology, scenery, and the study of 

 nature ; varied with sketches from life, 

 romance, anecdote, and flights of fancy. 

 The elegance, playfulness, suggestiveness, 

 and poetical grace with which the various 

 subjects are touched, give the freshness 

 of life itself to this charming volume, and 

 make it a reflection of the happiest moods 

 of nature. We have plenty of books for 

 railway-reading, and not one professedly 

 for perusal in the garden. Well, here is 

 at least one contribution to the Hterature 

 of the garden-house ; may it meet with 

 thousands of appreciative readers. We 

 quote two passages as examples of the 

 style; there are above three hundred 

 pages of such wTiting, the essence of one of 

 the most polished intellects in Europe : — 



" THE TWO CAKPETS. 



" About three years ago I purchased 

 an old carpet to place in my studio, as I 

 call an apartment tolerably well fiu-nished, 

 in which I sometimes shut myself up, to 

 prevent interruption whilst 1 am doing 



* A Tour Round my Garden. From the 

 French of Alphonse Karr ; revised and edited bv 

 tho E-ev. G. AVood, M.A., etc. "With 117 illustra- 

 tions by "WJUiam Harvey .—Boutledge & Co. 



nothing. This carpet represents foliage 

 of a sombre green, strewed over with large 

 red flowers. Yesterday my eyes fell upon 

 my carpet, and I perceived that the colours 

 were becoming very faint, that the green 

 was getting of a very dingy hue, that the 

 red was faded in a deplorable manner, and • 

 that the wool was worn ofl", and showed 

 the string over the whole space that led 

 from the door to the window, and from 

 the wuidow to my ai'm-chair in the chim- 

 ney corner. That is net all ; whilst mov- 

 ing an enormous and heavy table of carved 

 wood, I made a rent in the carpet. All 

 this disturbed me so much, that I imme- 

 diately had the rent repaired, but I could 

 neither restore freshness to the leaves nor 

 brilliancy to the red flowers. But this 

 morning, whilst walking round my garden, 

 I stopped before the grass-plot which ia 

 nearly in the centre of it. 



" Now here, said I, is just such a carpet 

 as I like, always fresh, always handsome, 

 always rich. It cost me sixty pounds of 

 grass-seeds, at twopence-halfpenny the 

 pound, that is to say, twelve shillings, and 

 it is about the same age as that in my 

 closet, which cost me twelve pounds ten 

 shillings; has undergone sad changes; it is 

 now poor, and becoming poorer evei-y day ; 

 in its tarnished splendour, threadbare, 

 disgraceful, and patched ; whilst this be- 

 fore me becomes every year more beauti- 

 ful, more green, more tufted. And with 

 what profuseness of beauty it changes and 

 renews itself. In spring it is of a pale 

 green, strewed over with small white 

 daisies and a few violets. Shortly after, 

 the green becomes deeper, and the daisies 

 are replaced by glossy buttercups. To the 

 buttercups succeed red and white trefoil; 

 it is spriukled with colchicums, which 

 spring from the earth like little violet-' 

 coloured lilies. In winter its white snow 

 dazzles the eye?, as it has been danced and 

 walked over. Then, although in the 

 spring as well as the autumn, it is a little 

 worn and ragged, it puts itself to rights 

 in such a manner, that we cannot perceive 

 its wounds or even its scars ; whilst my 



