264 



THE CANADIAN HORTlCULTURtST. 



HOW THE CHILDREN ANALYZED 

 A DAISY. 



'Twas the afternoon of a summer's clay. 



The air was fragrant with new-mown hay. 



The fields wliere the scythe had not passed over, 



Were covered with buttercups, daisies and clover. 



And then, from the midst of the flowers so gay, 



Came jubilant voices of children at play. 



But every delight was unheeded by me, 



As I sat at the window with Gray's Botany ; 



A poor little daisy I rudely dissected, 



And then through a microscope closely.inspected, 



Then turned to my book and endeavored to see 



My way through the mazes of "composit®." 



Swiftly the afternoon hastened away, 



And tlie children, all weary and warm with play. 



Came pressing around me their treasures to show. 



And asking what auntie was studying so. 



My quiet was over, that surely was plain. 



But my afternoon's labor had been all in vain. 



Slowly I lifted my poor aching eyes 



Prom the mystical words of the botanist wise. 



Lifted the flower where in fragments 'twas lying. 



Threw it out of the window, then hopelessly sighing 



I turned and then giving pet Mabel a kiss. 



Said, " My dear, can you tell me what a daisy is ?" 



" A daisy ! " cried Mabel. " A daisy," cried all. 



Their pitying wonder how well I recall ! 



Then Mabel informed me, all glowing and flushing. 



Her sweet childish prattle to low whisper hushing. 



That daisies were children of fairies at play. 



And they wore their best dresses of white evei-y day. 



"Ho, Ho." shouted Tommy ; then quicker than thought 

 A wondei-ful work in a daisy was wrought— 

 He seized my best scissors, the mischievous fellow. 

 And clipped the white petals quite close to the yellow. 

 All the petals but two, which he left in one place, 

 And tlien in the center he marked out a face. 



"See there ! " sliouted Tom. " la each daisy I see, 

 Thiae is waiting a little old woman for me." 

 And there, to be sure, was a snowy cap border. 

 With strings hanging down as if just made to order. 

 With the little round face, with complexion so bright. 

 Made the wlujle, I assure you, a comical sight. 



But while I was laughing at Tom's piece of fun. 

 Gentle Annie came forward, our slow, dreamy one — 

 " Why, auntie," she cried, with accents appealing, 

 " I thought they were fortune-tellers, rcvealhig 

 Wonderful secrets delightful to know — 

 Don't you remember, you said it was so ?" 



Ah, yes ! I remember that morning full well. 

 And the beautiful fortune the daisies did tell ; 



And how in the evening was brought me a letter, 

 Which told the same story in language far better ; 

 So I said, as I carried my text-book away, 

 " The children are wiser than you. Dr. Gray." 

 Christian nt Work. 



Forestry in Japan.— The Japanese 

 native papers are crying out against the 

 extinction of the lacquer industry of the 

 country. The tree from which the varnish 

 is obtained is disappearing. Formerly, 

 like the mulberry tree, on which the silk- 

 worm feeds, it was protected by law. 

 Each family of the upper classes was 

 obliged to rear one hundred trees, the 

 middle classes seventy, and the lower 

 classes forty. Since this law fell into 

 desuetude the cultivation of the lacquer 

 tree has rapidly declined. The trees 

 were cut down without care, and none 

 were planted to replace them, so that they 

 have become exceedingly rare, while the 

 price of lacquer has enormously increased. 

 Similar complaints, too, are heard of the 

 process of disafForestacion going on in 

 Japan since the ancient law which re- 

 quired every one who cut down a tree to 

 plant two in its place was abolished. — 

 Farmer and Fruit Groicer. 



Perpetual Pelargonium Grandiflo- 

 RUM. — Among the many classes of pot- 

 plants grown in greenhouses, the Pelar- 

 gonium tribe does certainly occupy one of 

 the first places, on account of its hand- 

 some flowers, as well as the great variety 

 of color. The greatest fault with them, 

 so far, has been that the period of their 

 flowering is so short. This imperfection 

 seems now to have been overcome by Mr. 

 Vanden Heede, of Lille, who, by artificial 

 crossing of P. Gloire de Paris and Gloire 

 de Criinee, has obtained a variety Avhich is 

 constantly in bloom. The flowei's are 

 large and of good form, the lower petals 

 light vivid ]»ink, the upper ones darker 

 and spotted deep purple, center white. 

 The foliage is well formed and light green. 

 It is evidently a grand acquisition, com- 

 peting with the Zonals, with which it is 

 desirable that it should be crossed in the 

 manner Mr. Wills has crossed tliem with 

 P. peltatum. To the intelligent experi- 

 menter there is a wide field open in this 

 direction. — Jean Sisley, Lyons, France, 

 in American Garden. 



PRINTBO AT THE .STBAM PRESS ESTABLISHMENT OF COPP, CLARK ft CO., COLBOKNB STREET, TORONTO. 



