182 ALPINE PLANTS. 



countries, which are covered all through the 

 winter with snow. You will be surprised to 

 find that a plant which, in its native country, 

 lives well through an eight months' winter, un- 

 der a coat of snow, dies and dwindles away 

 during our far milder climate. 



I must try to explain this, as well as I can ; 

 and if I succeed, it will be of great advantage in 

 two ways : first, it will give you a habit of 

 thinking, and of looking into the reason of 

 things, and will teach you not to remain in silly 

 wonder at what you cannot understand; se- 

 condly, it will give you the best chance of grow- 

 ing Alpines, which are my favourite plants ; so, 

 indeed, they must be with all who have small 

 gardens; as they are generally dwarfs, and 

 very beautiful ; moreover, nearly all of them are 

 amongst our earliest harbingers of spring. 



I must, however, make you a bit of a philoso- 



