186 A BOOK ABOUT THE GABDEN. 



my forces) had won the 20 prize, and only left 

 me 7. 



You'd think an old fish that had twice heen pricked 

 would be very hard to catch; but once again, and 

 that no long time since, I took the bait that was 

 dangled before me, and gulped it down hook and all. 

 I thought myself quite sure of a special prize which 

 had been offered at our annual show, for six exotic 

 Ferns, and I had put up half a dozen very decent 

 specimens, when another distinguished foreigner 

 placed four as good as mine beside them, and then 

 carelessly inquired from his foreman what other two 

 he had brought ? " There's the big Farleyense," he 

 replied, " and that Leptopteris, which you thought of 

 showing as a single specimen, but they're at the far 

 end of the van, and it'll be half an hour before I can 

 bring them." " The big Farleyense ! " why, there 

 was not at that time, as I believed, more than four or 

 five such treasures in the country ; "and the specimen 

 Leptopteris," whereas I had only a pinch of Todsea 

 under a small bell-glass. I caved in. I conveyed my 

 Ferns into another tent, and showed for the ordinary 

 prize given by our society. Friends, I've hardly 

 patience to tell you that the big Farleyense was just 

 visible to the naked eye under a great glass doom,* as 

 would have held a paeony ; and that the Leptopteris 

 had lost its head on the journey, and came out nothing 

 but a Pteris (argyraea) about half as good as my 

 own. 



There's another yet more dishonest deception which 

 is practised by certain parties as cannot afford to keep 

 * Dome intended. 



