328 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER. 



Nov. 



Hymn to the Flowers. 



[The following exquisite verses, from the pen of 

 Horace Smith, are wall worthy of re-publication and 

 re-poru?al, at least once a year. But it is now a long, 

 long time since they have been the rounds of the 

 newspapers; and, in giving them a new start, we 

 may be affording anew pleasure to some of our readers, 

 M well as refreshing a pleasant memory for many 

 others. The author, who is probably more widely 

 known for his numerous pieces — especially for 

 his connection with the noted "Rejected Addresses" 

 —'than in any other branch of poetry, furnishes, 

 howevar, only another instance of the often repeated 

 truth that genuine humor and deep pathos are not 

 only nearly allied, but very frequently associated 

 ■nd blended in the same mind. — Country Gent.\ 



Day stars ! that ope your eyes with man, to twinkle, 



From rainbow galaxies of earth's creation. 

 And dew-drops on her lonely stars sprinkle, 

 A* a libation — 



Te matin worshippers ! who, bending lowly. 



Before th' uprisen sun, God's lidless eye. 



Throw from your chalices a sweet and holy 



Incense on high ! 



Ye bright Mosaics ! that with storied beauty. 



The floor of Nature's temple tesselato, 

 What num'rous emblems of in:?tructive duty. 

 Your forms create ! 



'Neath clustered boughs, each floral bell that 

 swingeth, 

 And tolls its perfume on the passing air, 

 Makes Sabbath in the fields, and ever ringeth 

 A call to prayer! 



Not to the domes, where crumbling arch and column. 



Attest the feebleness of mortal hand; 

 But to that fane, most catholic and solemn. 

 Which God hath plann'd — 



To that cathedrnl, boundless as our wonder. 



Whose quenchless lamps the sun and moon supply. 

 Its choir the winds and waves — its organ thunder — 

 Its dome the sky ! 



There, as in solitude and shade 1 wander. 



Through the green aisles, or stretched upon the sod, 

 Awed by the silence, reverently ponder 

 The ways of God — 



Tour voiceless lips, 0, flowers, are living preachers, 



Each cup a pulpit, every leaf a book, 

 Supplying to my fancy numerous teachers. 

 From loneliest nook. 



Floral apostles ! that in dewy splendor, 



" Weep without wo, and blush without a crime,' 

 Oh ! may I deeply learn and n'er surrender 

 Your lore .sublime ! 



* Thou wert not, Solomon, in all thy glory, 



Arrayed," the lillies cry, " in robes like ours : 

 How vain your grandeur ! — ah ! how transitory 

 Are HUMAK flowers ! " 



In the sweet-scented pictures, Heavenly Artist ! 



With which thou pain test nature's wide-spread hall. 

 What a delightful lesson thou impartest, 

 Of love to all ! 



Not useless are ye, flowers, though made for pleasure, 

 Blooming o'er field and wave, by day and nignt ; 

 From every source your sanction bids me treasure 

 Harmless delight ! 



Ephemeral sages ! what instructors hoary, 



For such a world of thought could furnish scope? 

 Each fading calyx a memento mori, 

 Yet font of hope ! 



Posthumous glories ! angel like collection. 



Upraised from seed or bulb interred in earth, 

 Ye are to me a type of ressurreclion, 

 And second birth ! 



Were I, God ! in churchless lands remaining, 



Far from all voice of teachers and divines. 

 My soul would find, in flowers of thy ordaining 

 Priests, sermons, shrines ! 



The Feed and Growth of the Amari- 

 can Hobin. 



The following communication by Profe'sor 

 Treadwell, of Cambridge vlaFsachusetts, to the 

 Boston Society of Natural History, giving a de- 

 tailed account of the feeding and growth of the 

 American Robin, conlains much that is highly 

 suggestive to those who regaid birds as a cost 

 and a nuisance. 



On the prairie, it is very desirable to plant 

 trees, if for no other purpose than to 'nduce the 

 robin and other birds to breed their young, to 

 keep down the numerous insects that would 

 otherwise destroy the crops. A good flock of 

 robins would assist materially in holdiag the 

 "army worm" in check. It is noteworthy that 

 prairie orchards are less infested with worms 

 than those near the woodland. A few birds nest- 

 ing in the trees feed upon the insects, and ihey 

 are thus held in check. Birds always prefer 

 small groves and clumps of tr^es to the wood- 

 land, and will therefore, be found in greater pro- 

 poitional numbers. 



We never allow the shooting of quails on our 

 premises, as we consider them invaluable friends, 

 especially in the nursery. There may be some 

 birds that damage the orcbardist more or less, 

 especially near the forest, as they come in after 

 the fruit at the time of moulting, without hav- 

 ing done their part in previously keeping down 

 the iusects. The Sap Sucker we especially es- 

 chew, and bold in no high esteem. Ed. 



" When caught, the two birds experimented 

 on were quite young, their tail fnathe s being 

 less than an inch long, and the weight of eacli 



