60 NATURE IN A CITY YARD 



cause the new evils that come with refor- 

 mation appear so much worse than the old 

 ones. 



It all has to be looked up again, every 

 spring : the way to put bulbs and seeds in, 

 where, how deep, how many, in what soil ; 

 and even after the ground is prepared the 

 dibble is sure to strike subterranean pans 

 and flatirons, and the spade has to be re- 

 sumed. Then, when it is late and mild 

 enough to sow, the weeds are up in a lot 

 of new places, and are stealthily encroach- 

 ing on the space reserved for plants that 

 would please us better. And if we are 

 wise we do our weeding betimes. Com- 

 pleteness is rare in this industry. I have 

 seen only one exhibition of it, and that 

 was in the close of one of the English ca- 

 thedrals, where two women were seated on 

 the earth, patiently digging out of it, with 

 steel dining-forks, every growing thing 

 that was n't grass. The average man will 

 admire that conduct and refrain. 



In moderation, the exercise of weeding 

 encourages to good nature. It satisfies the 

 human instinct of destruction, and, unlike 



