WHAT I KNOW ABOUT GARDENING. 139 



digression. I did think that putting in 

 these turnips so late in the season, when 

 general activity has ceased, and in a remote 

 part of the garden, they would pass un- 

 noticed. But Nature never even winks, as I 

 can see. The tender blades were scarcely out 

 of the ground when she sent a small black 

 fly, which seemed to have been born and held 

 in reserve for this purpose, to cut the leaves. 

 They speedily made lace-work of the whole 

 bed. Thus everything appears to have its 



special enemy, except, perhaps, p y: 



nothing ever troubles that. 



Did the Concord Grape ever come to more 

 luscious perfection than this year, or yield 

 so abundantly? The golden sunshine has 

 passed into them, and distended their purple 

 skins almost to bursting. Such heavy clus- 

 ters ! such bloom ! such sweetness ! such 

 meat and drink in their round globes! 

 What a fine fellow Bacchus would have been, 

 if he had only signed the pledge when he 

 was a young man ! I have taken off clus- 

 ters that were as compact and almost as 



