CHAPTER XV 



BOUND HOUSE AND GARDEN 



A GARDEN in the country may be made not only a pleasant 

 (and profitable) part of one's home-life, but may also become 

 the visiting, or abiding, place of a number of interesting creatures, 

 which can be watched to great advantage under constant observa- 

 tion close at hand. Many people complain of the lack of oppor- 

 tunity they possess for studying Nature, yet they have around 

 them in the garden an abundance of wild life which is worthy of 

 careful study. There, one will discover friends, as well as foes, 

 and, to those who pursue the matter intelligently, it will come 

 as a surprise when the meagre list of serious enemies is made out. 

 There always appears to be some compensating advantage, for 

 Nature never allows her wonderful balance to be upset, and is 

 for ever striving to do her utmost to give all her children a fair 

 chance in the struggle for existence. 



It has long been my opinion that everyone who owns a garden 

 should possess some knowledge of natural history, as, not only is 

 additional pleasure acquired as a result, but such knowledge 

 can be put to practical use in the cultivation of flowers, fruit, and 

 vegetables, where, under less happier circumstances, blunders 

 are sure to be made. 



To enjoy a garden to its fullest extent it is preferable to plan 

 and plot a rough, unbilled area oneself, and, although I am con- 

 stantly visiting other gardens which sometimes make me envious, 

 perhaps because they are more pleasantly situated, I would not 

 exchange my own 747 square yards of ground for a like area 

 elsewhere, because I happen to be my own designer, and my own 

 gardener. 



Let me tell you how my garden was planned, and planted. 

 When I first took over my plot it was covered with rough grass 

 and a profusion of wild flowers, such as Bindweed, Dandelion, 

 Parsnip, Kagwort, Thistle, and the rest. It sheltered countless 

 numbers of insect and other pests, and was made up of stiff clay 

 soil. The point occurred to me that, to obtain any real measure 



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