1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



61 



spoke of taking a slip from one of our golden 

 salvias and making a potted plant of it in just 

 a few days. Well, after the little plant got 

 its roots out all around the sides of the pot, 

 and it had sent out five or six beautiful clean 

 golden-hued leaves, I took it over to the office 

 with some other plants to show to the women- 

 folks in the factory. Every woman loves 

 plants and flowers, and every man ought to be 

 interested in them on that account, at least, if 

 for no other. Well, every one uttered an ex- 

 clamation of surprise at that dainty little salvia 

 in its miniature pot ; but before I had gotten 

 half around with it I thought it was losing its 

 bright attractive freshness ; and when I got 

 into the next room its leaves were surely be- 

 ginning to curl up. Then I remembered the 

 air in our rooms is much dryer and perhaps 

 somewhat warmer than the damp air of the 

 forcing-bed where it had been kept. So I hur- 

 ried along for the sake of my little plant, to 

 get it back to its accustomed home; but before 

 I got around, its leaves were curling up more 

 and more, its brightness all gone. It made 

 me think of a bright, prattling, smiling baby 

 that you take out of its own home and carry 

 out among strangers. For a time the bub- 

 bling joyous spirit holds out ; but the strange 

 faces and the unfamiliar surroundings soon 

 begin to make the little face look sober, and 

 before you know it the little lips are puckered 

 up ready for a cry. Kind and encouraging 

 words do not help matters much. The baby 

 must be gotten quickly back to its own home 

 and to its ozvn mainnia, and even then it may 

 take quite a little spell to get over its fright 

 and resume its normal joyous spirit. It was 

 just so with my pet plant. By the time I had 

 got over to the greenhouse its leaves were all 

 rolled up, and I thought it was going to lop 

 down flat. I put it back in the warm damp 

 forcing-bed, shut the lid down tight, and 

 watched to see if I had really killed it, because 

 I was so anxious to take it around among my 

 friends and have it " show off." As the mat- 

 ter was to me one of great interest just then I 

 sat down, watch in hand, and watched it. In 

 five minutes I thought there was a little im- 

 provement. In ten minutes the leaves began 

 to unroll, and the drooping stalk began to lift 

 up its head a little ; and the next time I came 

 around it was just as bright and smiling, with 

 its bright little leaves turned over toward the 

 setting sun, as if it had not been disturbed at 

 all. 



I learned several lessons from the transac- 

 tion. One is that little plants with soft roots 

 and soft sappy foilage must be .handled with 

 much care, or they will get a serious setback. 

 A friend of mine who is skillful with flowers 

 says that many delicate plants will drop their 

 leaves when you carry them from one green- 

 house to another, or even from a dwelling- 

 house to a new location ; and it will take con- 

 siderable time for the new leaves to come out 

 and have them become acclimated to the new 

 situation and order of things. 



A year ago we sowed a lot of cabbage seed 

 in a bed that was partially shaded, and rather 

 too warm for the cabbage. Before I knew it 

 they had become so long-legged that I told 



the boys I feared they were spoiled. They 

 declared, however, they would be all right if 

 we would put them outdoors and harden them 

 off properly. As this was in the middle of 

 winter I thought it was a little doubtful ; but 

 we happened to have a long bed warmed just 

 right with exhaust steam, and a nice spell of 

 weather permitted us to get them out in very 

 good shape. Many of them were so long that 

 we had to lay them down slanting to get the 

 leaves clear down to the surface of the ground. 

 By handling with considerable care until they 

 had taken root in the new place we grew some 

 of the finest cabbage-plants I have ever seen ; 

 and by the first of April we had hardened 

 them off gradually so they stood a severe 

 freeze without any covering at all, as we want- 

 ed the glass for other stuff. 



Now, it would be folly to object to the use 

 of warm glass greenhouses for starting plants 

 because it makes them tender. It does make 

 them tender and useless for planting out of 

 doors at once ; but by gi-adiially hardening 

 them off, as every gardener knows how to do, 

 and not giving them setbacks, they may pro- 

 duce the very best of plants for any purpose 

 whatever. 



Human beings are much like plants. May 

 God help us to remember they are of far more 

 consequence than the plants. A harsh or care- 

 less word has dried up the life and wilted the 

 happiness of more than one child ; yes, and a 

 harsh and unkind word has more than once 

 driven the joy all out of the heart of the dear 

 wife. Many people are bashful and timid ; 

 and what a cruel thing it is to wound need- 

 lessly and give pain to those who are anxious 

 to do right, but who, because they may be 

 amid new surroundings, inadveitently make 

 mistakes ! A boy from the country goes into 

 town. Poverty or some other circumstance 

 has kept him back, and he knows but little of 

 the ways of the town. He is keenly sensitive, 

 however, like my little plant. Now, how 

 wicked it is to call attention to his inexperi- 

 ence ! 



When I was about 18 I was exceedingly 

 timid and bashful, and, I presume, awkward. 

 I commenced going to school in town, two 

 miles and a half from my home on the farm. 

 It took me a long while to become acquainted. 

 After a spell, however, I did get to know the 

 different pupils so I could talk with some of 

 the smart good-looking girls at noon time. I 

 remember they once sang something that 

 pleased me exceedingly ; and my enjoyment 

 broke the crust of my diffidence so much that 

 I tried to tell the young women how I felt. 

 They seemed pleased, and I was fe-^ling quite 

 happy until a smart young man who had al- 

 ways rather looked down upon me because I 

 was a farmer's boy, and did not wear patent- 

 leather shoes, and smoke cigars, as he did, 

 came up. I had just added that I did not 

 mean to flatter the young ladies, but I actual- 

 ly felt all that I had said. He replied for 

 them, something like this: "Oh! you need 

 not worry about having flattered the singers. 

 What you said was exceedingly 7?^?/, but there 

 was no flattery about it." At this pun they 

 all joined in a good-natured laugh, boys an^ 



