24 GARDEN FLOAVERS. 



lovely anemonies are scattered thickly over the 

 lands. Our handsome garland, or poppy 

 anemone, (Anemone coronarid) is the parent of 

 the finest fiorists' flower, and comes from the 

 hot and dry plains of Syria and Asia Minor. 

 The flower is Avhite, with a red ring round its 

 centre. The star anemone (Anemone stcUata) 

 is purple ; and the kind called garden anemone 

 (A7ie7none hortensis) is purple, with a white 

 centre ; and all the numerous varieties which 

 we haA'e in our gardens spring from one of 

 these three kinds. The anemone is another 

 flower much prized in the eastern bouquet. 

 D'Herbelot mentions a Persian work, a col- 

 lection of moral essays, which was called, in 

 the figurative language of that people, " The 

 Garden of Anemonies." In former days this 

 flower was believed to possess such magical 

 virtues, that the sages of old times recom- 

 mended every person to gather, in spring, the 

 earliest anemone he saw, and keep it as a pre- 

 servation from pestilence. For this pm-pose 

 it was carefully wrapped in scarlet, till spring 

 again brought the fresh anemone, to allure to 

 hope, and often to lead on to disappointment. 

 And ^vell is it for us that our destiny in this 

 life is not thus placed in our own keeping ; for 

 man, blind man, should choose the evil some- 

 times when he sought the good ; and while he 

 carefully shielded himself from sickness and 

 every afiliction, should perhaps put far from 

 him the very means of moral improvement, 

 the very trial which might be sent in mercy to 



