SUMMEPw. 83 



for one's self or one's friends, is such a pleasure, that I 

 often wonder at its being so frequently deputed to the 

 gardener. It is true that generally he knows best what t(» 

 cut and how to cut, he can and does generally tie up a 

 nosegay with an air about it that unprofessional hands 

 seldom can give, and frequently he bestows flowers from 

 greenhouse or garden that- the owners thereof dared not 

 have pulled ; still it is a pleasure to most people to pull 

 flowers and arrange them for themselves, and, with plenty 

 of old-fashioned common flowers, it might be safely in- 

 dulged in, and the garden be none the worse. Indeed, L 

 remember asking a gardener once some questions about 

 the best season and mode of pruning roses, and the 

 answer was, that he saw few rose bushes flower so well as 

 those in his father's garden, where the blossoms were 

 gathered daily for the market ; they needed no other prun- 

 ing than this, and were always covered with flowers. 

 "There is that scattereth and yet increaseth ;" this rule 

 seems to apply well to a liberal spirit in our gardening, as 

 well as in other things, so let no one grudge slips and 

 cuttings, or nosegays to less favoured friends : indeed, one 

 needs to have been a dweller in town at some period or 

 other fully to appreciate the value of floweis. There are 

 some kinds of flowers more suited for this free gathering 

 than others — such as honeysuckle ; common white, cab- 

 bage, damask, moss, and Chinese roses ; pinks, at least 

 when allowed to grow into large clumps ; and wallflowers : 

 and among annuals, mignonette and sweetpeas, Stocks. 

 at least fine double sorts, are not very available for this 



