MY SUMMER IN A GARDEN. ^ 157 



to them. I know the general impression 

 is, that children must be governed 

 through their stomachs. I think they 

 can be controlled quite as well through 

 their curiosity ; that being the more crav 

 ing and imperious of the two. I have 

 seen children follow about a person who 

 told them stories, and interested them 

 with his charming talk, as greedily as if 

 his pockets had been full of bon-bons. 



Perhaps this fact has no practical re 

 lation to gardening ; but it occurs to 

 me, that, if I should paper the outside of 

 my high board fence with the leaves of 

 &quot; The Arabian Nights,&quot; it would afford me 

 a good deal of protection, more, in fact, 

 than spikes in the top, which tear trou 

 sers, and encourage profanity, but do not 

 save much fruit. A spiked fence is a 

 challenge to any boy of spirit. But, if 

 the fence were papered with fairy-tales, 

 would he not stop to read them until it 



