76 My New Zealand Garden 



not seen any of them microbes about yet.' Her 

 ignorance was bliss, and perhaps best left undis- 

 turbed than made foolishly wise by microscopes. 



It is a subject of congratulation for the rising 

 generation that periodical doses of that awful 

 concoction rhubarb and magnesia have been 

 superseded by more palatable medicines. Its 

 dreaded fumes pervaded the nursery precincts far 

 and wide by the time it was properly mixed. 

 Then the nurse might be seen to waver as to 

 whether she would add peppermint-water, which 

 was supposed to make it more swallowable, but, 

 on the other hand, increased the quantity to be 

 got down. In fact, one's cup was full, and one 

 had to drink it. However, the more mixture, the 

 more yells, spuming, and want of breath, for one's 

 nose was squeezed several degrees harder than it 

 should have been, but whether only in the ex- 

 citement of the struggle, or to pay one out for 

 the noise, no child could say. Unlike the man 

 who hated the French so much that he would not 

 grow French Beans, Rhubarb is plentiful with us. 

 This unpleasant reminiscence of childhood brings 

 up another to my mind I mean the sleight-of 

 hand dentist and although this chapter is sup- 

 posed to deal with garden pests, I must introduce 

 him here. This iron-hearted man convinced us 

 that he held no cruel instrument in his hand, and 

 only wanted to look into our mouth, when, as our 



