18 LADIES' WORKING DRESS. 



I have reserved two especially necessary recom- 

 mendations to the last, being comforts independent 

 of the tool-house. Every lady should be furnished 

 with a gardening apron, composed of stout Hol- 

 land, with ample pockets to contain her pruning- 

 knife, a small, stout hammer, a ball of string, and 

 a few nails arid snippings of cloth. Have nothing 

 to do with scissors : they are excellent in the work- 

 room, but dangerous in a flower-garden, as they 

 wrench and wound the stems of flowers. The 

 knife cuts slanting, which is the proper way of 

 taking off slips ; and the knife is sufficient for all 

 the purposes of a flower-garden, even for cutting 

 string. 



The second article which I pronounce to be in- 

 dispensable, is a pair of India rubber shoes, or the 

 wooden high-heeled shoes called " sabots" by the 

 French. In these protections, a lady may indulge 

 her passions for flowers at all seasons, without risk 

 of rheumatism or chills, providing it does not 

 actually rain or snow ; and the cheering influence 

 of the fresh air combined with a favorite amuse- 

 ment, must ever operate beneficially on the mind 

 and body in every season of the year. 



