THE PARLOR GARDENER. 131 



and this without the least encroachment upon the 

 rights of the lady last named. This pretty little 

 figure of speech a perfect statuette, is it not ? 

 is not original with me : I beg you to understand, 

 ladies, that I lay no claim to its authorship ; it 

 belongs to the late Rousselon, and first appeared 

 in his Annals of Flora and Pomona. 



Now, to descend from the airy heights of 

 fancy, and engage in our work upon material 

 realities, you will find that a few strawberry 

 plants will not be at all in the way of your orna- 

 mental ones. And this being the case, will it not 

 be pleasant to you, while engaged in your horti- 

 cultural labors, to find, now and then, under your 

 hand, a fine, ripe strawberry or two ? And these 

 of your own production ! 



Strawberries. 



If you open the catalogue of a horticulturist by 

 profession, you will be frightened at the innumer- 

 able varieties of the strawberry; each variety 

 asserted by the venders to be perfect ; whilst, in 

 point of fact, the fruit produced by the greater 

 part of them will prove to be either flavorless or 



