AMERICAN GARDENER, 231 



spinach, Cloves would live out the winter in this 

 country. 



345. COLUMBINE. A perennial. Very 

 common ; but very pretty. 



346. COWSLIP. This is one of the four 

 flowers, without which English pastoral poetry 

 would be destitute of that which awakens the 

 most delightful ideas. The Cowsli/i, the Prim- 

 rose, the Violet^ and the Daisy , are of endless 

 recurrence in that species of writing. They all 

 come early in the spring ; and are all beautiful. 

 Neither of them is seen here, and they all might ; 

 for they will bear any severity of weather. The 

 Cowslip is of the Polyanthus tribe. It is of a 

 delicate yellow colour, and sends forth many blos- 

 soms from the same stem, which rises about six 

 inches from the ground. It may easily be pro- 

 pagated from seed, which it bears in great abun- 

 dance, but, when you once have a plant, the 

 easiest way is to propagate from onsets. The 

 plants raised from seed do not blow till the se- 

 cond year. The plant is fierennial. The flower 

 has a delicate sweet smell, and also sweet taste, 

 as a proof of which, cart-loads of the flowers, 

 plucked from the stalks, are sold in London to 

 make " wine" with ; that is to say to furnish 

 drinkers with an apology for swallowing spirits 

 under the specious name of Cowslip- wine. The 

 leaf of the flower very much resembles in shape 

 the under lip of a cow, whence, I suppose, our 

 forefathers gave the plants the name of cowslip. 



347. CROCUS. A bulbous rooted plant, very 

 well known. It is recommended by its earliness* 

 It is perfectly hardy. The only thing to do, 

 when it is once planted, is to akc care th-at it 



