THE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 63 



the grapes and the flower-beds came to please you, my lord. It 

 was a lucky chance that I ever heard those gentlemen talking 

 in the mews, please your lordship.' 



"' Chance happens to all,' answered tlie peer, sententiously, 

 ' but to turn chance to account is the gift of but few.' 



" His lordship returned home, gazed gloomily on the hues of 

 his vast parterres ; he visited his vineries and scowled at the 

 clusters ; he summoned his head gardener, a gentleman of the 

 highest repute for science, and who never spoke of a cowslip 

 except by its name in Latin. To this learned personage my 

 lord communicated what he had heard and seen of the benig- 

 nant effects of charcoal, and produced in proof a magnificent 

 bunch of grapes which he had brought from the squire's. 



" ' My lord,' said the gardener, scarcely glancing at the 

 grapes, ' Squire 's gardener must be a poor ignorant crea- 

 ture to fancy he has discovered a secret in what is so very well 

 known to every [professed horticulturist. Professor Liebig, my 

 lord, has treated of the good effect of charcoal dressing to vines 

 especially, and it is to be explained on these chemical princi- 

 ples,' — therewith the wise man entered into a profound disser- 

 tation, of which his lordship did not understand a word. 



" ' Well, then,' said the peer, cutting short the harangue, 

 ' since you know so well that charcoal dressing is good for vines 

 and flowers, have you ever tried it on mine ? ' 



" ' I can't say I have ; it did not chance to come into my 

 head.' 



" ' Nay,' replied the peer, ' chance put it into your head, but 

 thouglit never took it out of your head. ' " 



His lordship knew very well that a man who makes good use 

 of the ideas received by chance will make a still better use of 

 ideas received through study. Ho therefore discharged his 

 learned but thoughtless gardener, and employed the observing 

 and intelligent young man who had conducted the squire's 

 plants with such brilliant success. You can imagine the result 

 which followed. 



The peer and the gardener have both learned the value of 

 observation, the usefulness of theory and practice combined, and 

 the folly of ascribing a successful experiment to chance. And 

 we may learn from this lesson to cherish those hints which are 

 derived from experience, and to apply them witli that activity 



