162 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



t Aagnat 20, 1874 



his Tast fortune from the Cardiganshire lead mines. From 

 one, that of (Jwmsymlog (Coomsymlog), he profited £25,000 

 annually, and he sacrificed his wealth in obtaining for London 

 its best water-supply. 



The little inn alluded to was reached by me on my road to 

 Bedd Talieeen — Taliesen'e grave. Is not Bedd the word from 

 which our "bed," a place also of rest, is derived? No one 

 who has a taste for a combination of the grand and the beau- 

 tiful in mountain scenery will regret proceeding thither from 

 Aberystwith. The deep valleys richly wooded, the precipitous 

 yet wooded mountains, the paths mere shelves on their sides, 

 are each and all sources of gratification. Nor will it be least 

 gratifying to find that the last building, very far distant from 

 bat one other at the summit of the mountain, is a place for 

 Divine service. Nor is this association of the lone memorial 

 of the Welsh bard and a lone Christian pulpit incongruous, 

 for one of the Welsh Triads records that Taliesin was one of 

 " the Christian or baptised bards.'' This is probably a reason 

 that, although he lived fifteen hundred years ago, so many of 

 his poems have been preserved. The monks, the great libra- 

 rians of the middle ages, would regard more kindly his mental 

 offspring. Eighty poems attributed to him have been pre- 

 served, chiefly mystical, theological, historical, and elegiac. I 

 will only give the translation of one extract from his " Mead 

 Song," for that is not foreign to your pages : 



*' To Him that inles supreme, our sovereit,'n Lord, 

 Creation's Chief, by all that lives ador'd, 

 ' "Who ma^e the waters and sustains the skies, 



T\Tio gives and prospers all that's ^ood and wise — 

 To Him I'll pray that Maelgmi ne'er may need 

 Exhaustless treasure of the sparkling mead." 



Other extracts might be published relating to fitting subjects, 

 and from other bardic and triad pages, before arriving at the 

 era of Hywel Dda — that is, Howell the Good. He was born 

 about the end of the ninth century, and died in the year 918. 

 His code continued in force until Wales was subjugated by 

 Edward I., and its enactments throw much light upon the 

 values of the productions of the garden and field in those 

 days. The value of horses, cows, sheep, and pigs is specified 

 at various ages to be paid by those who killed, or injured, or 

 stole them. Of a cat, " after it could kill mice, 2d." If the 

 eat was killed or stolen from the king's barn "it was to be 

 suspended liy the tip of its tail, with its head touching the 

 ground, and to have Wheat poured over it until the tip of the 

 tail was covered." The heap of Wheat was the penalty. 



A gander was worth two geese, and a goose was valued at 

 2d. A hen was valued at Id., and a cock at two hens. To 

 constitute a cock it must have crowed, and to constitute a 

 hen it must have laid. A stock of bees was valued at '2id., 

 and a spring swarm at IGti., a second swarm at 8d. The 

 penalty for destroying or stealing an Apple tree was iJOd., of a 

 Nat tree 15d., and of a Plum tree Id. — G. 



A STEANGE SUMMER SCENE IN THE SWISS 

 WENGEKN ALP. 



Monday, AnonsT 10th. — Yesterday morning a more wintry 

 scene was presented than I had experienced all last winter — 

 the ground thickly covered with snow, and snow still faUing 

 heavily, with the thermometer nearly down to freezing on the 

 9th of August. This state of things continued until long after 

 the sun arose, but the weather afterwards partially cleared, 

 when the lower suow was melted, though the surrounding hills 

 retained their whiteness. Some of the parties amused them- 

 selves playing snowball with each other. Of course good wood 

 fires were in retiuisition and much appreciated. It was alto- 

 gether very strange for this time of the year, though not 

 unfrequent at this elevation (6700 feet). One gentleman, an 

 artist, who has been staying here some time, said that on the 

 30th July the snow was 6 iuches deep. We get what we come 

 for — cool weather in the hot season. 



Tuesday, August 11th. — The fresh suow much enhanced the 

 beauty of the surrounding scenery, and the sun shining upon 

 it had a very brilliant effect. Went yesterday morning out on 

 the hills in search of wild flowers, and though later in the 

 season than last year, yet was very pleased tu meet with many 

 of the old favourites still in blossom. One particular hollow 

 in front of the Monch glacier was a perfect Nature's garden ; 

 so much better to my fancy than the stiff formal parterres we 

 see in England prepared at great cost and care. The Asters, 

 Gentians, Androsace, with the fine yellow Arnica moutana, 

 were quite numerous. The Ehododeudroas are very nearly 



over. The grazing cattle seemed hardly to know what to make 

 of the snow on their pasturage. — E. Copland. 



WINDO'W GARDENING FOE TOWNSFOLK. 



Sometimes itis supposed that horticultural pubUcatious have 

 no interest in the welfare of towns. We have constantly shown 

 that we think differently. We know that the opportunities 

 are comparatively rare when we can be of the same service to 

 those whose lives are spent entirely away from the country as 

 to the bulk of our readers whose circumstances are much more 

 favourable ; but we have always done what in us lay to foster 

 a love for plant-growing in the crowded courts and back streets 

 of our great towns. Our readers will not, then, we thiuk, be 

 surprised that wa should reproduce the following article on 

 town window gardening from the columns of our contemporary 

 the Midland Counties Herald. 



Aljiost every human being has an inborn love of flowers. 

 No one familiar with the habits of " the people" can fail to 

 be aware that even in our most crowded and closest streets 

 there is a constant struggle to gratify this love, and efforts are 

 always being made to grow some plant or other. A Geranium 

 or a Fuchsia, a Musk plant or a Myrtle, is perhaps the object 

 of the loving attentions of these cultivators under difficulties. 

 Not unfrequently a good deal of success rewards the labours 

 thus bestowed, which it may always be assumed are labours of 

 love. In London and elsewhere societies have been formed 

 to encourage such efforts, and wherever the beneficial influence 

 of such societies has been exerted they have done much good. 

 Many a dingy home has been made all the brighter by the 

 plants grown in them under the fostering influence and encou- 

 ragement of such societies. Nor has it been essential to the 

 happiness of the owners that a high standard of plant-cultiva- 

 tion should have been set up. If only a plant wiU live, pre- 

 serve its leaves green, and occasionally gladden its owner's 

 eyes with a flower, then the causes for supreme satisfaction 

 are quite ample. Now and again it is possible to meet with 

 really well-grown plants in the homes of the very poor ; and 

 we well remember on one occasion to have seen in the window 

 of a small house in one of our back streets nearly a dozen 

 healthy vigorous trees which would not have been discredit- 

 able in any cottage window in the country. This by way of 

 encouragement. 



There are many plants which will thrive excellently well 

 even in the smoke of large towns, provided they receive a few 

 extra attentions. For instance : The soil in which they are 

 planted should be fresh and sweet, and should be renewed at 

 least annually ; the dust and dirt which will be certain to 

 accumulate on the leaves day by day should be occasionally 

 removed — the oftener the better — by sponging, or the rougher 

 and readier method of sprinkling, or the more simple one of 

 exposure to gentle rains when they fall ; then, again, plants 

 should, on the one hand, never be overwatered, bo as to con- 

 vert the soil into mud, nor kept without water too long, so as 

 to convert the soil into dust. With such means most of the 

 more robust plants which commonly adorn cottage windows 

 will grow and do well in those of towns. Evergreens of many 

 varieties are well adapted for permanent occupancy of such 

 positions, for, owing to the harder and oftentimes glossy sur- 

 face of the leaves, they are hardier than most softwooded 

 plants. The Cactus family, again, and many of the succulents, 

 will for a long time bear up against rough usage and neglect, 

 and the other adverse circumstances attendant upon town 

 gardening ; and their uncommon styles of growt'a, and flowers 

 quaint and strange in appearance, invariably produce unflag- 

 ging interest. Bulbs of many sorts, too, are particularly suit- 

 able to fill creditably a prominent place in a town window. 



A step in the right direction would be the preparation and 

 general publication of brief accurate directions how to grow 

 plants, stated in such plain everyday language as would be 

 readily understood by all who can read ; and to this might be 

 appended a list of such plants as are most likely to floarish 

 in town windows. 



We should Uke to know that window-gardening societies 

 were established in all our populous towns. They would 

 accomplish a really good work, and would encourage many 

 who are now inert to become cultivators. The duties of the 

 committees of management would not be arduous. They 

 might well undertake the printing and distribution of such a 

 code of instructions as we have referred to, and which we shall 

 have pleasure in getting prepared by a competent hand, if such 

 a society is started in Birmingham. They might purchase 



