Sovcuibcr 7, 1805. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



383 



ing, and o stove beiiiR ojtt of the qnoRtioii, from having no one 

 to attend to it. (ins wonUl bo a iiovcr-failiiif; Bourue of warmtli 

 ami would nivo no tri)\ilili' ; and, as tliern is roinid thowatt'r tank 

 a, chamber tbruugli wliiidi tliii hot air would pass before it 

 entered the uroenhouso, I Hhiiuld bu ^lad to know if there 

 would be any danger of its being hurtful to plants. — Emily. 



[A. single jet of gas sufticient to licat a AValtouian case would 

 not produee a quantity of fumes sullioient to injure the plants 

 in the greenhouse, but the jets sutlicicnt to heat the greenhouse 

 would. For many years we heated a snndl vinery by a gas- 

 stove, whieh is merely a small ornamental iron case, with a 

 door, inclosing a ring of gas jets. From the top of the case 

 proceeded an iron pipe which conveyed all the fiuncs into the 

 open air. In another instance this pipe passed through the 

 l)rickwo.rk into a cliimney.] 



CATTLE YA EXONIKNSIS. 

 Tnis magnificent Orchid has been in flower with mo for 

 the last three weeks, and is, I think, one of the finest of all 

 Cattleyas, a free grower, and frec-Howeriug. Its flowers are as 

 large as a small bloom of its jnuent, Lielia jjurpurata, but 

 better in form and colour than any of that species which I have 

 seen, and the sepals and petals lio not curl as '.n the parent. 

 The plant which I have flowered differs a little from others 

 that I have seen in flower — viz., the terminal half of the lip is 

 of the deepest crimson purple, beautifully frilled with a white 

 border ; the lateral part of the lip is not frilled, but has a 

 large purple margin, and a blotch of yellow in the centre, and 

 behind that, in the throat, is cinnamon brown. The sepals 

 and petals are of a delicate pink. I think tlie above ought to 

 be in every collection. It is a seedling raised by Mr. Domiuy, 

 to whom we ai'C indebted for many line hybrid Orchids, but I 

 thiuli the above is the gem of them all. — 0. IvEMMur.Y. 



MY PLANTS, 



AND HOW AND WHERE I FOUND THEM.— No. 12. 



*' FrtlUn<? on my wc'ar>" l>rain 



Like a fa^t-falliut,' ^liowi-r. 

 The dreams of youth e;une hack again. 

 Low lisping^ of the summer raiu. 

 Dropping on the ripened grain, 



As once upon the flower. 



" Visions of childhood! stay, oh stay! 



Yo were so sweet and wild ! 



And distant voices seemed to say, 



It cannot he ! They pass away ! 



Otller themes demand thy lay ; 



Thou art no more a child ! "' 



Between the counties of Essex and Suffolk runs a river, the 

 very mention of whose name brings back to my mind slumber- 

 ing visions of bygone times, childhood's days, those happy 

 hour's of jjure enjoj-meut which come chiefly in tlie earlier part 

 of our short lives, brief seasons of cloudless felicity, but which 

 are so vividly remembered imto life's closing day. How tena- 

 ciously the memory clings to each well-remembered spot ! how 

 it conjures up the face of each merry companion of our sports 

 and pastimes, the fishing excursions, rides on horseback, drives, 

 wallis, the haymaking-party, the visits to the gleaners in the 

 corn fields, which, now cleared of their golden harvest, yet yield 

 enough scattered ears to gladden the hearts of the poor. How 

 hot the sun was ! and how it pom-ed its fervid rays upon that 

 animated and eager party; as one of the workman said, "It 

 ditln't half shine." At such times I remember, one of our chief 

 delights was to make our appearance amongst the gleaners, oc- 

 casionally assisting to add to the scanty store of some poor 

 deerepid old creatiu'e, who, already bowing down under the 

 ■weight of eighty years' toil in this world of ours, yet persisted 

 she could compete with her younger sisters in their laborious 

 employment. Again, what a charm there was in distributing 

 from a capacious basket those luscious Apples to the over- 

 heated little ones, leceiving in return a full recompence from 

 the bright and glistening eyes of the recipients. Then memoi-y 

 brings back days of sickness, when these same bonnie bairns, 

 now grown into lads and lasses, sent their much-prized offer- 

 ings to the chamber of sickness, in the shape of bouquets of 

 wild flowers, or, perchance, such as their humble gardens 

 aliforded. Honeysuckle there was, all bathed in the early dew 

 of the summer's morning, gathered as the lads went to their 

 ■work in the hay fields, and left silently at the kitchen-door. 

 No costly gift in after-years awoke keener pleasure in my 

 breast than these thank-offerings from my village choir. Health 



returned in time, and again my eyes were gladdened with a 

 stroll in the garden, and to my astonishment, in my own 

 particular border were sjiringing into ilower nuniercms jdants 

 of tlio Lily of tlie Valley (Convallaria majahsj ; in all stages of 

 growth rose its beautiful pale-green leaves, protecting tho snowy 

 bells upon their elegant stalk— another proof of my children's 

 love, for the roots were planted clandestinely in the early 

 mornings some mimths before. 



These simple and kindly thoughts mado mc, as a girl, a 

 staunch defender of the pixir. I regret that in .advancing years 

 these feelings were somewhat and necessarily modified, and 

 one sighed for tho unenlightened and simple belief which girl- 

 hood has in the goodness ot the motives and actions of all 

 around ; yet is this belief still best kept in our relations with 

 mankind in spite of occasional disappointments. To believe 

 a motive pure and honourable may make a friend, whereas to 

 doubt an intention certainly creates an enemy. Across my 

 mind now comes a vision of our busy Sunday — certainly to us 

 no day of rest. There was teaching in the village school, jdaying 

 the organ, and teaching again, after the evening's service. Tired 

 out we were, not from ennui, but from the incessant strain upon 

 the mind, and the unavoidable talking. A quiet stroll, how- 

 ever, down to the river Stour refreshed us after our work. Ho^w 

 cool were the breezes that blew across it on those hot and dusty 

 evenings ! On its banks in profusion grew the purple Loose- 

 sti-ifo with its spiko of reddish flowers, and close by its side 

 the fragrant Meadow-Sweet (Spira;a ulmaria), ■n'ith its white 

 blossoms. There the Arrow-head, Bur Reeds, and Iris pseud- 

 acorus put forth their varied beauties to the passer-by, and 

 most beautiful of all the Flowering-Eush, whose umbels of 

 rose-coloured flowers, we, as girls, all eagerly sought after at 

 the peril of a ducking in the stream below. The pretty melan- 

 choly Forget me-not, with its blue eyes, which speak to each 

 heart more or less of love, and often ot sadness and parting, 

 grew on our river's banks in gi-eat luxuriance. Tho legend 

 connected ■with the name of this flower awakens in our heai-ts 

 a sympathetic feeling for the fate of the young lover ■who, 

 sinking in the water, threw a handful of these flowers to his 

 distracted mistress, uttering with his dying lips " Forget-me- 

 not." In Germany this flower is used to deck the resting-place 

 of the loved and lost. Ragged Robin, and the brown flowers of 

 the Water Figwort, increased the beauties of our river bouquet ; 

 and now, perceiving the fog arising around us, we slowly wend 

 oirr way along the wood side, taking a last look at the setting 

 sun which is casting a glorious coronet of crimson light above 

 the hills behind us. A light supper and to our chamber to 

 seek that healthy sleep, ■n'hich is so rich a gift, wafted on the 

 bonnie country air. Priceless boon ! how oft thou art the 

 companion of the poor man's couch, and flyest the draperied 

 chamber of the rich ! No need have we, however, to woo thee, 

 care has not yet stamped oiu' young brows, and 

 '■ There is in the aii* 



A fragrance, like that of the beautiful garden 



Of Paradit^e, in the days that were 1 



An oduuv of innocence and of prayer. 



And of love, and faith that never fails, 



Such as the fresh young heart exhales 



Before it begins to wither and harden ! " 



Such ■was our case : " Sleep, balmy sleep I" and fairy di'eams 

 blessed us all the night, and we were up early, busily preparing 

 for a day on the river. CJuickly we get over omr brealZfasts and 

 pack our baskets of necessaries, look well to our fishing gear, 

 and with proud and bounding hearts take down with us a sail, 

 which we have made for our boat, the effects of -ivhich we are 

 to try for the first time on our vfinding stream, the numerous 

 bends in whose banks, and the consequent changing of the sail 

 from side to side, make it rather a hazardous affair. So much 

 the better for young adventurers ! Chatting and singing alter- 

 nately, and making our boy cany the weightier part of our 

 luggage, we arrive at a back-ditch in which our little craft is 

 safely stowed away from the prying eyes of predatory barge- 

 men. My brother piloting her into the river, we are soon 

 seated ; he and I take possession of the oars, and we are gently 

 moving down stream. Oh, happy days of simny memory ! 

 when, moored beneath the dark green Alders, we dropped our 

 lines into the sparkling waters, and silently, and breathlessly 

 watched for the bobbing of our floats, precursor of the trium- 

 ]ihaut landing of some unfortunate pike, perch, or roach, to be 

 hereafter produced in a more enticing form upon the dinner 

 table at the Hall. Every now and then the beautiful little 

 kingfisher woirld dart from beneath the Alders, and secirring 

 his prey with the most perfect nonchalarici-, would make his 

 meal upon a brsnch clcse by us ; most likely ho is discussing 



