APPRECIATION 



" God Almighty first planted a garden. And, indeed, 

 it is the purest of human pleasures. It is the greatest 

 refreshment to the spirits of man, without which, 

 buildings and palaces are but gross handiworks." 

 Well, you can say nothing better of gardens than that. 

 But I take up another book, written by an author not 

 nearly so well known as Lord Bacon, but one who has 

 a homely interest for ourselves. He is Mr John Reid, 

 who published a book in the reign of Charles II., which 

 is called The Scots Gard'ner. It is a delightful book 

 to read, perhaps even more delightful for those who 

 know nothing about the subject than for those who 

 do. I strongly recommend anyone to turn up this 

 old book of Mr John Reid's, published in 1683. He 

 tells you all about the Scottish garden of that time, he 

 tells you all about the kitchen garden, and the pleasure 

 garden, and, what I think he attached more import- 

 ance to than anything, the physic garden where he 

 grew those medicinal herbs in which, I fear, we have 

 come to lose some confidence. How many of those 

 herbs are now growing in Scottish gardens, and what 

 benefits are to be anticipated from them ? These are : 

 garden rue, golden rod, feverfew, vernain, celandine, 

 wormwood, comfrey, Solomons seal, callamint, mas- 

 terwort, ivall pellitory, garden germander, betony, 



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