skilful tillers of the ground can make her linger at 

 their will. 



What exactly does all this mean ? Some of 

 us have perhaps been in Paris. If not, we have 

 perhaps heard others tell of the flowers which 

 are to be always seen in the streets of that city. 

 On certain special days, whatever the season, these 

 flowers seem to be found everywhere. Flowers 

 . in bunches, flowers growing in pots, flowers over- 

 flowing the pavements there is no end to them. 

 These days when the flowers are so plentiful are 

 nearly always Saints' days, and the reason for their 

 abundance then is rather curious. 



In France, it is customary to give the children 

 the names of some one or other of the great Saints, 

 and then very often, instead of the birthday of 

 the boy or girl, it is the name-day, the Saint's day, 

 which is kept as a family festival. The French 

 love flowers, and in Paris there are many Jeans 

 and Jeannes, many Louis and Catherines, many 

 Jacques and Maries. Therefore, on every one of 

 the Saints' days, there will be many people who 

 want to buy a pot or a bunch of sweet-smelling 

 flowers for some relative or other. Therefore, 

 again, the gardeners make great preparations for 

 these days. 



A Paris gardener is reckoned really clever when 

 he can make hundreds of pots of daisies or roses or 



