122 THE CHRONICLES OF A CxARDEN. 



and spring's sweet prime. Still, tliongh we may agree with 

 Wordswortli, that storm and fog 



" Announce a season potent to renew, 

 'Mid frost and snow, the instinctive joys of song, 

 And nobler cares than listless summer knew;" 



we must be allowed to plead on behalf of our garden that 

 its pleasures are not by any means all gone ; there is 

 enjoyment still to be had among the bare branches, and on 

 its gravel walks and grassy lawns, by those who know where 

 to look and how to find the kind of enjoyment we speak 

 of. To those who allege that in this drear season there is 

 nothing enjoyable in the garden, I would say, in the words 

 of a writer in a popular scientific periodical — " Have you 

 thoroughly examined all the nooks and crannies, all the 

 shadows and depths, all the surface and substrata of the 

 domain, be it small or great, which you happen to call 

 your own ? Are you accurately acquainted with the con- 

 tents of your own garden 1 " In observing and study- 

 ing the subjects connected with the garden — its ento- 

 mology, its winter botany, its geology — may be found 

 those '.' nobler joys " referred to by the poet ; but even if 

 we have not the desire to carry on such studies, we must 

 admit that some slight knowledge of these subjects would 

 give much additional interest to our garden, where we 

 cannot now linger long, but from whence we may bring in 

 materials for many an hour's pleasant occupation. 



There are some peculiar beauties, too, at this season ; 

 about the most beautiful of which is the efi'ect of hoar 

 frost. The tvviirs and branches of shrub and tree are 



