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ANDGARDENER'SJOURNAL. 



91 



THE FLOWER BOY. 



TUTENILE RECITATION, WITH A BASKET OF FLOWERS. 



melailies, I've rosea and posies to sell, 

 a ihe flower boy ki own Iicre:ibuuta very well ; 

 t my sweet daily lask I nm conslant and true, 

 id I gather my itowers while wet with the dew. 

 Bl look how liiey f:purkle with tlie liright morning gem, 

 nicely bunch'd up, too,— nut one broken stem. 

 ley'II keep fresh and fragrant, I'm sure, the day through, 

 ily buy a few bunches, dear ladies, pray do. 

 )me buy my primroses and lilliea so fair — 

 ily see — what a sweet lillJc bunch I have there; 

 lavs all sorts of nosegays, to suit every one, 

 oni the shade, paly-flowers — some bright from the sun. 

 umbic Miss, here are lillics, and violets, loo, 

 licy are meek, lowly flowers, just suited to you ; 

 |i3 half-opened bud, too, has something to say- 

 Be modest, retiring— though cheerful and gay." 

 irc'g the hide away cowslip, you'd know its sweet breatli, 

 itiioul looking for it, to twine in your wreatli. 

 h \ good humored lady— so merry and gay— 

 his bunch will stilt you. AVhat a splendid display ! 

 ouhle roses, and scarlet bells, mijted with bright green, 

 ritli sweet yellow jessamine peeping between! 

 nly see the moss rose buds, and wild flowers, too ; 

 ome, ladies, for charity's sake, purchase a few. 

 ve fragrant sweet briar, and here's mignionette, 

 'Is the freshest and sweetest you've ever seen yet. 

 orning glories, ond stars, scarlet runners so gay, 

 or those who rise early and are busy all day. 

 or the careless and idle I've a sly cunning gift, 

 ,9 bunches of hops, mixed with speerl-well and tlirlH; 

 y way of reproof, too,— just to give them a hunch, 

 ruiupet creepers and sloe berries, ail in one bunch ' 

 or the fretful and headstrong, only see what a show— 

 igeriiliies, passion flowers, and snap-dragons, too! 

 i^itli snow balls and snow drops, for keeping them cool, 

 [•is as much as to say, never let passion rule- 

 or gad-about-gossips iu other folk's matters, 

 :ere*s touch-me-Rot, thistles, and loose-strife, and medlars. 

 *oung spinsters of fifty I think I could please, 

 Vith lovc-lles-a-bleeding, and spriggs of heart's-ease,— 

 ome teazing fine coxcomb, with sweet wilUains, gay ; 

 weet-balm, johnny-juuipers, and bob-run-away! 

 or youn^ men of forty, liere's a bunch that would do, 

 .bright mnry-gold, with a blue-bell or two — 

 T a few ladies tresses, their hearts to ensnare, 

 jid a sweet polly-anthus, with bright-golden-halr, 

 agged-Iadies, romantic vines, fly-traps, and old-maiJ, 

 Tith jump-up-and-kis9-me, in purple arrayed! 

 ladies-slippers, and tulips, of every bright hue. 

 »nd for-gct-me-nots, smiling in bonnets of blue! 

 'hen bachelor's-buttons, with ladies-in-green, 

 Vith rue, and some bitter-sweet, bunched in between • 

 ind if these will not suit them, I've something more yet, 

 i. little rose-mury, and a great bouncing-bet! 

 *or pert, forward IMisses. I've all sorts of stocks, 

 .Vith flowers of elders, and a little green-box ! 

 ■"or n neat, sprightly girl, then— what would you think 

 )f that bunch of white lat-k-spice, with a rose and a pink ! 

 ''or patriots, I think, I've a bunch that will do, 

 Jome flaunting night-rockets, with flags red and blue. 

 To please our young patriots, too, I will try, 

 •lerc are plenty of flag for the Fourth of July 1 

 For members of Congress, your stentorsso tough, 

 I am sure I have throat-wort, and lung-worl enough ; 

 For stock-jobbers, too, here's a bunch gives a hint, 

 Some fine golden crowns, with plenty of mint. 

 For studious young IMisses, who love much to learn, 

 ('veever-green-laureis, with thyme, sa^e, and fern. 

 For yotir regular folks, sun-flowers and phlox, 

 With evening primroses and bright four-^'-clocks. 

 Tve bright crown imperials for such as tell truth, 

 And flowers immortal, for virtuous youth. 

 For such as look forward to Eden's pure bowers, 

 Here are evergreens, changeless, and amaranth flowers. 

 For Sunday School children— ye high favor'ij youth. 

 So blest in the sunshine of lieavenly truth I 

 I've branches of palm, with Lebanon's pride, 

 With the fir, and the boxwood, and the myrtyle beside. — 

 The lilly of the valley, in purple arrayed, 

 With the sweet rose of shnron, in glory displayed I 

 Tve a great many more of each difierent sort, 

 By their name and their nature some moral is taught ; 

 The language of flowers has bright things to say ; 

 Xdo wish you would take a short lesson to-day. 

 Come buy my sweet posies, 'twill charily be. 

 Twill help my old dad. and will surely suit mc, 



N. Y.fVetkly Messenger. 



Care of Horses, 



There are a great many ftirmers who tnkc btit poor 

 core of ibeir horees in the winter season. Iu the short 

 days ihey have water befoie dark, and then have to go 

 without until nine or ten o'clock the next morning, 

 or ii" they have water early in the morning, ihey will 

 not usually drink, aa iheir time of thirst is past. — 

 Horses seldom refuse water after ihcy hove eaten their 

 evening meal, though if they do not hove it then, they 

 will usually drink but little the next morning until niter 

 eating. So if a burse will not drink early in the 

 morning it is no indication that he has not been thirsty 

 the previous evening. 



We have been particular in our observation on this 

 point. We have turned a horee out to drink nt nine or 

 ten o'clock in the evening, and eeldorn known him to 

 fail of drinking heartily. Then, for experiment, we 

 omitted to give him water at night, but attended to it 

 in the morning before he was fed, and he would sel- 

 dom drink. If it be best for animals to have free ac- 

 cess to water at all times, as is generally allowed, then 

 they ought Eurely to have a supply immediately after 

 eating, when they are usually thirsty: though the su- 

 perficial observer who finds that they will not drink 

 early in the morning may think that all has been well. 



There is not a man probably, who has not at times 

 been very much in want of drink, and yet, without 

 being able to obtain it, his thiist hnrf gradually abated. 

 In this case the juices from other parts of the body are, 

 in a measure, put \n requisition to supply moisture 

 when it is wanted, so by nn equolness the thirst is a- 

 bated or done away, but there is a deficiency of mois- 

 ture in the system — a drought, less severe, but more 

 extensive, which, ii experienced daily will prove un- 

 favorable to health and strength: and in animals it will 

 injure the growth of the young, and operate against 

 the fine, healthy condition of every creature. They 

 must have water when they need it or they will not 

 drink; like men, they do not eat and drink according 

 to fashion and custom. 



Some farmers will use their horses till they are warm 

 and sweaty, and then put them up, perhaps in a cold 

 barn, without covering them with anything to keep 

 them w^arm; this evil is often increased by allowing 

 the horses lo drink freely of water, while w^arm, in or- 

 der to save the trouble of watering them after they 

 have stood till cool; a great many horses sufier in this 

 way, and some are ruined. For a man or beast to be 

 inactive and exposed to cold after exercite nnd perepi- 

 ralion, is dfi.structive lo health, and will destroy the 

 strongest coustitutione. Every man knows the im- 

 portance of guarding himself against expo.^ure lo cold 

 after peispiration, nnd how a drink of cold water in 

 this slate, will send a chill through the whole frame. 

 Though a man is not like a horse, he resembles him 

 in his ability to do a great deal of labor, with proper 

 management, and in his liability to disease if his len- 

 der frame is not guarded with care. 



It was observed in the Farmer some months ago, 

 thaftt was better for a horse to have, a place in the 

 winter where he conld stand upon the manure, and 

 walk round at ease, than to be confined to a stall and 

 eland upon a hard fioor. But in this case, aa ihe 

 horse will generally stand in one place to eat, the ma- 

 nure will accumulate under liishind feet so that he will 

 stand uneasy, unless it be levelled frequently so that 

 it Will be as high or higher under his fore feet. 



Currying horses is very much neglected by some 

 farmers. This operation is very important, as it con- 

 tributes both to the pleasure and health of the animal. 

 In some cases this business is hardly attended lo, being 

 performed only a few times in the course of the win- 

 ter. 



Many a farmer's horse that is now stupid end lazy, 

 and of a miserable appearance, would, under the care 

 of a good hostler, without extra keeping, become so 

 changed in hie appearance and spirits, in a few months, 

 though performing the same amount of labor, that his 

 owner would hardly know him. — Yankee Farmer. 



The town of Springfield, 111., has become n cliv. 



Popular Errors. 



Messrs. Editors — It would be amusing, were it 

 not nn incontrovertible proof of an ignorance that 

 ought not to exist among any body of men, certainly 

 not among the farmers of the United States, to read or 

 hear the strange, not to say ridiculous, notions which 

 some of them entertain. These errors in moat cases, 

 may be traced to two causes: ignorance oi the most 

 common laws of nature, or inaccuracy of observation. 

 With your leave I wilt point out a few of these, some 

 of which have long been naturalized among us, and 

 some of which appi^ar to be of indigenous or. gin. 



One of these errors which occur to me now, relates 

 to the fecundation of plama, and may be fjund on the 

 176lh page of the Silk Grown, in an uni-^le on hor- 



ticulture. After a long argument to prove that the 

 impregnation of Indnn corn does not take place from 

 the pollen as is usually supposed, and as is so easily do- 

 niongirated, the writer goes on to say : " Oh, no, this 

 is much loo clumt-y and bungling work to be believed 

 in. The ellect, [imprecnalion] is, doubtless, produ- 

 ced by scejtt or smdl ; for, observe, the ear is con - 

 structea, and is at this season, so guarded, so com- 

 pletely enveloped, that it is impossible for any malter 

 whatever to get at the grain, or at the chest of the 

 grain, without the employment of mechanical force.'* 

 The error, in this case, arises from the supposition that 

 the pollen must be conveyed to the grain, whereas it 

 is only necessary the fertilizing dust shouid rench tl)e 

 silks, which are the organs of impregnation belonging 

 to the ear. 



In another agricultural paper, I not long since noti- 

 ced a paper from a farmer on the culture of corn, in 

 which he earjieslly contended that the impregnation 

 did not take place by the pollen, b^t that certain fila- 

 ments or threads, invisible, except at particular times, 

 extended from the blossoms lo the silks, which efiected 

 this fecundation. Thetc spider's webs, for such evety 

 attentive observer is aware they must be, must be 

 about as efiectual in the process of impregnation as the 

 ' scent' in the first writer's article. 



On u par with these, is the theory of transmutation, 

 or the change of one species of plant to another during 

 the period of vegetation. Of these believed transmu- 

 tations, that of wheat into chess, is perhaps the mo8l 

 common, and certainly the most pernicious, as the be- 

 lief has the effect of rendering the believer careless in 

 cleansing his soil from the weed, or sowing pure seed 

 in his field. Few men would believe that cutting ofT, 

 or bruising the top of a young oak would change it lo 

 a sugar maple; or that the eame operation performed 

 on a yonng pine, would convert it into a tamerack; yet 

 e.ther of these suppositions is just as feasible and con- 

 sistent with the law of nature, as that any other plants 

 should undergo a similar trtinsmuiation. There are 

 some flowers that mny be changed by the action of 

 mineral agents in the soil, from one color lo another; 

 but the seed of such a flower, the chrysanthemimi for 

 instance, nei'er produces a rose or a geranium. 



Another common error relates to the migration or 

 hybernation of birds, particularly the barn swallow, 

 or the chimney swallow. It is supposed by many that 

 these birds descend to the bottom of ponde, lakes, &c.; 

 in the mud of which they lie torpid during the winter, 

 as it is well known the toad, frog, and lizard do, and 

 as the bat does in caves or other dark recesses. These 

 birds migrate, as their presence in the equatorial re- 

 gions, during their absence from ours, conclusively 

 proves; and the idea of their being torpid has been 

 countenanced by the fact, that the flight of most mi- 

 gratory birds lakes place daring the night. 



In many parts o[ the country there is an impression 

 among farmers, that a kind of vegetation lakes place 

 among the while grubs, the product of which is the 

 common blackberry buoh. That a species of vegeta- 

 tion some times telvea place on the bodies of insects, ia 

 doiibiees correct; and the larva? of the Meiolontha, 

 and the vegetating wnsps are examples of this. The 

 plant produced, however, ise species of the fungus 

 tribe, and not any way related to the higher order of 

 plants. 



In the last number of the sixth volume of the Culti- 

 vator, is an aitempt to show that the Hessian fly and 

 the Chinch bug, two of the greatest enemies to the 

 wheat crop and the farmer, that this country has, are 

 the same insect, or rather that they have the same pa- 

 rentage or origin: and from the remarks there made, it 

 would seem that this opinion is quite common among 

 our southern ngricuhurnl friends. This, it would 

 seem, is the doctrine of transmutation applied lo ani- 

 mals, instead of plants, and appears to involve tee 

 same absurdity. In a reply to an obiector in tbe- 

 Americnn Farmer, the advocate of this transmntation 

 of animnla, gives the following as proof and illustia- 

 tion : — 



"Agiicultor may think it strange and contrary lo 

 the order of nature, that the large white grub worn:9 

 could be transfDrmed or turned to graishoppers. Bui 

 such is the fact. A gentleman of highly respectable 

 standing in this country, who caught one of ihc.-e long 

 white cut worms, and placed it in a box with souio 

 loose earth, and after it was confined for some day.-', he 

 examined it one morning, and found it had changed 

 or produced a grasshopper. Is it more strange for a 

 cut worm to be transiormed into a grasshopper, than 

 that a Hessian fly should deposit an egg which should 

 produce a Chinc'a bug V 



TBai the large or long white bug is the larvae of the. 

 May bug, ia a fact so easily ascertained, and well 

 known, that the mistaking of thai insect for a grass- 



