!Pteasanirfes of TiHral Literature. 63 



manure was placed, nearly filling the cavity. Another pint of ashes was sprinkled 

 upon the fertilizer, which was gently pressed down, and the whole covered with the 

 loose dirt taken from the cavity, leaving the surface nearly as it was, excepting the 

 turf. A young orchard was treated in a similar way. The effect was wonderful. 

 Plum trees that were " going to the bad," revived. Peach trees that had presented 

 small and shriveled leaves threw out a luxuriant foliage, and cherry trees gave fruit 

 laro;er and fairer than ever before. 



Pleasantries of Rural Literature. 



•Tapati.f.se Iiivellin{/s. 



rrHERE are few Japanese dwellings of the middle class which have not their little 

 1 private gardens, quiet retreats for sleep, for reading, fishing in the tanks, or 

 indulging in libations of tea and saki. The chains of hills which traverse the quarters 

 to the south and west are remarkably rich in rocks, little glens, grottoes, springs and 

 ponds, which the small proprietors combine in the most ingenious manner, so as to give 

 the features of a, varied landscape in a limited space. When there is an entrance from 

 the garden to Ihe street, a rustic bridge is thrown over the canal before the portal, 

 which is carefully concealed under spreading trees or thick shrubbery. We have 

 hardly crossed the threshold, when we find ourselves apparently in a wild forest, far 

 from all habitation. Masses of rock, carelessly disposed in the manner of a staircase, 

 invite us to ascend, and from the summit a charming view is suddenly spread out 

 below. An amphitheatre of leaves and flowers incloses a picturesque pond of water, 

 bordered with lotus, iris, and water lilies ; a light wooden bridge is thrown across it ; 

 the path, which descends to the latter, passes by windings through clumps of bamboos, 

 azaleas, dwarf palms and camellias, then by groves of small pines and slopes of turf 

 or flowers. 



The Curnation seen through <i Microscope. 



It is well known that the examination of flowers, and vegetables of every description, 

 by the microscope, opens a new and interesting field of wonders to the inquiring 

 naturalist. Sir John Hill has given the following curious account of what appeared 

 on his examining a carnation : •' The principal flower in an elegant bouquet was a car- 

 nation ; the fragrance of this led me to enjoy it frequently and near. The sense of 

 smelling was not the only one afiected on these occasions ; while that was satiated 

 with the powerful sweet, the ear was constantly assailed by an extremely soft, but 

 agreeable murmuring sound. It was easy to know that some animal within the 

 covert must be the musician, and that the little noise must come from some little 

 creature suited to produce it. I instantly distended the lower part of the flower, and 

 placing it in a full light, could discover troops of little insects frisking, with wild 

 jollity, among the narrow pedestals that supported its leaves, and the little threads 

 that occupied its center. What a fragrant world for their habitation ! What a per- 

 fect security from all annoyance, in the dusky husk that surrounded the scene of 

 action ! Adapting a microscope to take in, at one view, the whole base of the flower, 

 I gave myself an opportunity of contemplating what they were about, and this for 

 many days together, without giving them the least disturbance. Thus I could 

 discover their economy, their passions and their enjoyments. The microscope, on this 

 occasion, had given what nature seemed to have denied to the objects of contempla- 

 tion. The base of the flower extended itself under its influence to a vast plane ; the 

 slender stems of its leaves became trunks of so many stately cedars; the threads in 

 the middle seemed columns of massy structures, supporting at the top their several 

 ornaments ; and the narrow spaces between were enlarged in walks, parterres and 

 terraces. On the polished bottom of these, brighter than Parian marble, walked in 



