ALPHONSE KARR 269 



nowhere so luxuriant, so beautiful, and so happy, as when beam- 

 ing upon and spreading over a wall. Letters written from my 

 Garden. 



At the bottom of my garden, the vine stretches in long piazzas, 

 through whose arcades are seen trees of every kind, and foliage 

 of every hue. 



On this side is an azerolier, which in the Fall is hung with 

 little scarlet berries of the richest lustre. I have given several 

 cuttings from it : far from obtaining pleasure from the privation 

 of others, I strive to scatter and make common and vulgar the 

 trees and plants which I prefer ; it is to me, as to those who 

 really love flowers for their brilliance, their grace, and their 

 perfume, a multiplication of pleasure, and of the chance of 

 seeing them. They who, on the contrary, are misers of their 

 plants, and who only value them in so far as they are satisfied 

 no one else possesses them, do not love flowers; and rest 

 assured that either accident or poverty has driven them to 

 collect flowers, instead of collecting pictures, gems, or medals, 

 or in a word any other thing which might serve as a pretext 

 for all the joys of possession, heightened by their being owned 

 by no one else. 



I have carried the vulgarization of beautiful flowers a step 

 further. 



I go for walks round about the place where I live into the 

 wildest and most deserted nooks. 



There, after having properly prepared a few inches of ground, 

 I scatter the seeds of my richest plants, which re-sow themselves, 

 are perpetuated, and multiply. Already, whilst the fields round 

 about have only the scarlet wild poppy, it must surprise passers- 

 by to see in certain wild ingles of our little country the finest 

 double poppies, white, rose, red, edged with white, etc; and 

 the most splendid garden poppies, violet, white, lilac, scarlet, 

 and white tipped with scarlet, etc. ; at the foot of a lonely tree, 

 instead of the bindweed with its white field-flowers, are to be 

 found here and there patches of convolvulus major, blue, violet, 

 pink, white streaked with red and violet, etc. 



