182 FIVE ACRES TOO MUCH. 



whether it was &quot;Datura&quot; or &quot;Meteloides.&quot; They 

 were both good names, however, and that, in science, 

 is half the battle. Still, accuracy is a weakness of 

 mine, and it was unpleasant to call these new seeds 

 half the time Datura, and the other half Meteloides. 

 But I felt that, under either appellation, they were 

 invaluable, and I carefully concealed the possession 

 of the new treasure, that I might at last have a satis 

 factory triumph over Weeville, who, with his practi 

 cal and most incomprehensibly successful mode of 

 gardening, was quite a thorn in my scientific side. 

 The papers inclosing the purchase contained minute 

 directions for its cultivation, and I followed these 

 most exactly, resolved that there should be no failure 

 this time, if the strictest attention could prevent it. 

 I supervised the preparation of the hot-bed personal 

 ly ; I saw that the material was properly turned over 

 and worked, and the mould carefully prepared ; and 

 two distinct sowings were made, so that in case any 

 untoward accident happened to one, the other might 

 succeed. 



Anxiously I waited the issue, and my exultation 

 may be imagined when both came up. Datura, even 

 in its earliest stages, exhibited its aristocratic extrac 

 tion. There is usually some little difficulty in distin 

 guishing a youthful weed from a plant by its mere 



