FROLIC OF THE FRUITS. 



SAID the lemon to the squeezer, 

 " Did you know 'twa« Christmas 



time ? 

 When I hob-nob with the 

 cherry and the pineapple 

 and lime ; " 

 But the grapes here interrupted, tumbling 



down in a bunch, 

 Crying, " All of us in bottles makes the l)cst 



part of the punch ; " 

 But the cocanuts up-bristled — neither eyes 



nor hair they lacked — 

 Yelling, " Milk beats all the punches, do you 



think our heads are cracked ? " 

 The bananas pointed fingers full of scorn at 



all they saw : 

 " We're the flour of Brazil, though we're 



better when we're raw." 

 The bumptious apples chimed in with a 



peeling laugh and said : 

 '• Not a fruit can beat us painting any town 



and orchard red " 

 The pomegranate objected, and a voice with 



mellow reach 

 Sang, " Look upon this cheek and say, now 



a'int I just a peech ? " 

 Pecans began to rattle, and walnuts made a 



whirr 

 To drown some northern voices : " You're 



a chestnut with a bur-r-r." 

 The chestnut snapped their shells ; " You've 



been roasted, too," they said ; 



And the peanuts sneered — "Oh, we're the 



only nuts who have a head." 

 The oranges and grape-fruit came slowly 



rolling in 

 Singing, " See the best of Christmas— we've 



a Klondike in our skin." 

 The quince and the citron grumbled over 



family jars gone by, 

 When their brethren from a stew fell to 



fingering in pie. 

 The melon rolled with laughter as she bumped 



upon the stairs : 

 " Preserved and pickled Christmas ! watch 



the dinner come in pears ! " 

 Tlie prunes began to simper as they clamber- 

 ed o£" their plates : 

 " These fruits have got no memory, watch 



them take along dry dates." 

 The procession fell in line, and the berries 



said 'twas plum, 

 But they didn't care a fig, and the currant 



jokes were "bum." 

 They all took up a quickstep, and with many 



bounds and bobs 

 They tropped into the sanctum — "Merry 



Christmas, Mr. Hobbs ! " 

 The gooseberry turned green, as she couttesied 



with a duck ; 

 "Here's your health in cherry - bounce ; 



Happy New Year, Mr. Tuck ! " 



A Chests tT Bukr. 



^ ©(jp Sooh T^ble. ^ 



The Western Horticultural Society. 

 The first published report of this young 

 Society has come to hand from the president, 

 the Rev. Prof. Baird, of Winnipeg. It is a 

 tidy pamphlet of 120 pages, and contains in- 

 teresting and valuable papers on such topics 

 as House plants. Practical Tree planting, 

 Small Fruits for Manitoba, Doubtful fruits, 

 Trees for Windbreaks and Winter Protection, 

 etc., etc. We wish every success to our 

 Sister Society. 



Catalo<;ue of Champion Fruit Evaporator, 

 a Dryer, G. H. Grimm, Mfg. Co., Montreal. 



Report of the Chemist, (Prof. T. T. 

 Shutt,) of Central Experimental Farm, 

 Ottawa, 1897. 



Report of the Entomologlst and 

 Botanist ( Dr. Fletcher,) and of the Foreman 

 OF Forestry, (W, T. Macoun.) of the Cen- 

 tral Experimental Farm, Ottawa. 



371 



