108 THE GARDEN OF A 



pounded of vegetation as the city dweller imagines. 

 The cockney who thinks that he has summed up 

 the essence of torpidity when he speaks of people 

 who "vegetate in the country," simply illustrates 

 his own ignorance and that he does not even know 

 the life history of a turnip. For, taking the term 

 literally, few things live more hurried and pushing 

 lives than vegetables. 



Vegetables are chiefly articles upon which the 

 very life of the world depends; they do a great 

 deal of work, and do it in private a method of 

 which most people have no conception, as not to 

 live in public is to them the equivalent of death. 

 Also to be a successful vegetable requires great 

 energy ; for not only must it work hard during the 

 growing season, keeping its health and digestion 

 in order often on scanty and variable rations, but 

 it must provide, either by seed or the storing up in 

 bulb, tuber, or rootstock, enough strength to insure 

 its further existence. 



To return to November and its praise; mine is 

 conclusive, being both material and sentimental, 

 and stated in a few words. To-day has been one 

 of the happiest days of my life, and it is November 



