144 



THE CANADIAN BORTICtJLTtRlST. 



MY NEIGHBOURS GARDEN. 



Up to the border of my small domain 



My neighbour's garden stretches wide and sweet ; 

 His roses toss against ray window-pane ; 



His jasmine wreathes my porch and doorway seat. 



My threshold every May is cari)eted 



With pale pink petals from his peach-tree blown ; 

 His tallest lilac lifts its plumy head 



Up to the casement where I sit alone. 



Waking, I hear, as dawns the morning light. 

 My neighbour busy in his bordered walks. 



Noting the added beauties born of night, 

 Pulling the weeds among his flower- stalks. 



From early March, when the brave crocus comes. 

 Edging the beds with lines of blue and gold, 



Till the consoling, kind chrysanthemums 

 Contend against December's cruel cold. 



My neighbour toils with wise and patient hand, 

 Scarce pausing in his work for sun or shower, 



Evolving gradually from mould and sand 

 The germ, the leaf, the perfect bud and flower. 



A rare magican he— whose touch transmutes— 

 Helped by the sprites which rule the airs and dews — 



Dry dormant seeds and dark unlovely roots 

 To graceful shapes and richest scents and hues. 



His garden teems with glad and brilliant lives ; 



There wheel and dive the gauzy dragon-flies. 

 Bees gather tribute for their distant hives ; 



And grey moths flutter as the daylight dies. 



Sparrows and wrens sing songs which need no words ; 



And over flower-cups scarce more bright than they, 

 Green-winged and scarlet-throated humming birds 



Hang, tranced with sweet, then whirr and dan 

 away. 



From branch to branch, beneath my watching eyes. 

 His net a black and golden spider weaves ; 



And scores of many-colored butterflies 

 Waltz in and out among the dancing leaves. 



My neighbour in their midst — thrice favoured one I- - 

 Delves, plants, trains, weeds, and waters patiently. 



Studies the alchemy of rain and sun. 

 And works his floral miracles for me. 



For me ! not one enjoys this Paradise 



As I, within my overlooking room : 

 It is not seen even by the owner's eyes 



At once, the whole wide stretch of growth and bloom. 



With sight and mind absorbed he little thinks 

 How all his garden's sweetness drifts to me— 



How his rich lilies and his spicy pinks 

 Send incense up to me continually. 



Yet still he labours faithfully and long 



My loneliness to l)righten and beguile. 

 Asking for all this fragrance, bloom and song, 



Not even the small repayment of a smile. 



Unconscious friend, who thus enrichest me, 

 Long may thy darlings thrive, untouched by blight, 



Un plagued by worm or frost ! and may there be 

 No serpent in thine Eden of delight ! 



And ye whose spirits faint with weariness. 

 Count not you work unvalued and tinkown : 



Cheered by your toil, some silent soul may bless 

 The hand which strives not for itself alone. 



Elizabeth Akbrs Allen 



How TO Make Alcoholic Plastic. — 

 Melt 10 parts of white rosin with one part 

 of beeswax. When thoroughly melted, 

 remove the dish from the stove, and cool 

 until the alcohol will not smoke, then pour 

 in alcohol— continuously stirring — until 

 the mixture, when cool, is of about the 

 consistency of molasses in cool weather. 

 We do not measure the alcohol, but pour 

 in very slowly until the stirring cools the 

 mass. For use in the graft-room it does 

 not need warming. For use in the open 

 air, we place the dish on the top of a lan- 

 tern-like arrangement with a kerosene 

 lamp under it, regulating its consistency 

 by turning the wick up and down. If 

 covered with a white rag, we do not find 

 this plastic to melt in the sun to more 

 serious extent than the common grafting 

 wax. I will add that during the past four 

 years we have met severe losses in grafting 

 with wax softened with linseed oil — Prai- 

 rie Farmer. 



Grape Notes. — Lady Washington is 

 too late ; Jeff(drson is also late though of 

 of the first quality. It is worthy of trial 

 where the seasons are longer than at the 

 Rural Grounds. Vergennes is also a red- 

 dish grape, of fair quality, that keeps well. 

 Eldorado is of superb quality and v^r} 

 early — but it is not a grape that will sj 

 ceed everywhere. Moore's Early is fiv^ 

 best early market grape. Eaton, will make 

 its mark as an early black. The Niagara 

 holds its high reputation for fruitfulness 

 and healthiness. It is probably the bt ^t 

 market white grape known at present. 

 Jessica is a very early white grape of some 

 promise. F. B. Hayes (white) is ha^ ly 

 and of good quality for a purely native 

 grape. Ulster Co. Prolific, (let us caU it 

 Ulster) and Poughkeepsie Red, are in every 

 way premising. Pocklington is inferior to 

 several white grapes of recent origin. The 

 Woodruff Red disappoints us. It is a 1 w^c 

 showj'^, red grape, but foxy. — Rural v'< f 

 Yorker. 



PBINTBP AT THR ST£AM PRESS KSTABLTSHMRNT OF THE COPP, CLABK COMPANY (LIMITED), TORON'J 





