WHAT I KNOW ABOUT GARDENING. 67 



In relating this interview, it must be dis- 

 tinctly understood that I am not responsible 

 for anything that the President said ; nor is 

 he, either. He is not a great speaker, but 

 whatever he says has an esoteric and an ex- 

 oteric meaning; and some of his remarks 

 about my vegetables went very deep. I said 

 nothing to him whatever about politics, at 

 which he seemed a good deal surprised : he 

 said it was the first garden he had ever been 

 in, with a man, when the talk was not of 

 appointments. I told him that this was 

 purely vegetable ; after which he seemed 

 more at his ease, and, in fact, delighted with 

 everything he saw. He was much interested 

 in my strawberry - beds, asked what varie- 

 ties I had, and requested me to send him 

 some seed. He said the patent-office seed 

 was as difficult to raise as an appropriation 

 for the St. Domingo business. The playful 

 bean seemed also to please him, and he said 

 he had never seen such impressive corn and 

 potatoes at this time of year; that it was 

 to him an unexpected pleasure, and one of 



