186 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Som^ perhaps may be disposed to argue that the usefuhiess of the 

 society would be very much lessened by having its efforts partially 

 withdrawn fron^ fruits, which are used as food, and devoted to plants 

 and flowers, which serve no useful purpose, and the cultivation of 

 which some might say is only a Waste of time. I remember some years 

 ago an acquaintance of n^ine making use of lihiSi sort of argument in 

 regard to my partiality for ornamental gardening. "What is the use,"' 

 he asked, "in spending your time cultivating those things? They are 

 neither meat, drink, or clothing, and are of no use whatever ; remember- 

 that utility is the true criterion of value, therefore to spend your time 

 on that which is of no use is to waste it." The reply I made him was 

 one that he did not find it easy to a(iiswer at that time, and I question 

 if he has found a presentable solution even yet. It was, " Whatever 

 tends to make any part of the human race happier is useful." I might 

 have completed the syllogism, by adding, The cultivation of flowera 

 has that tendency, therefore such cultivation is useful; but I think my 

 meaning was sufficiently plain. 



This reminds me of an Irishman that I once had in my employ, 

 who took it into his head that some of the products of my flower 

 garden were eatable. I was putting out my bulb roots, tulips, hya- 

 cinths, &c., when he picked up a large hyacinth bulb, and with a curious 

 wondering smile on his face, asked, " What do you do with these ?" 

 I explained to him that I was going to plant them in the ground, and 

 they would flower in the spring. " But wliat I mane is, what use do 

 you have for them ? How do they be cooked ? Do you boil 'em, or 

 bake 'em like onions, or do they be made into pies?" I made no reply 

 to this for about ten minutes, 'and during that time, — well, when I 

 came to look at them I didn't have so many bulbs to plant. 



But this is digressing. I commenced to write about Zinnias. I 

 wished to let the readers of the Horticulturist know that I have this 

 year succeeded in growing splendid Zinnias, and to tell them how it 

 was done. A good Zinnia is a beautiful flower, as double as a Dahlia, 

 flowering much earlier, and continues till cut down by frost. But — : 

 and the " but" in this case is a very serious one-— it is so difficult to 

 get good ones. I have tried them a good many years, and found the 

 majority of them little better than ox daisies, so I concluded to try 

 them no more, and purposely omitted them when ordering seeds, but 

 Mr, Yick thought I ought to have them, and so sent me a paper gratis, 



