808 THE 
GARDENERS 
CHRONICLE. 
[DECEMBER 26, 1874, 
Natural History. 
MICE v. SLow-worMs.—For snakes to feed upon 
mice seems all right and proper, but for mice to 
and feed upon reptiles would not a to be 
quite the nga thing for them to do, ugh the 
facts I am about to detail tend to show that the 
propens nsiti as 
As m 
resided in the suburbs of London it was OS dare a 
- to obtain frogs, so knowing 
article eiar diet, he set a trap and 
in the case for the 
e mouse untou som 
resently, BONE.. i was no ced that one or two of 
the slow-worms h ae. Search being made, 
a trap, an ts to catch hi the 
hand, by retreating to a hole under one e hil- 
locks ; ultimately he was smoked out, but not Sne 
he had eaten three of the common , and al 
e mouse (in th ow- 
least) deroan them by gradually eating 
Two 
from th the ‘ail to the h uestions arise from 
these facts, viz. l mice, in a state ect Nature, 
etimes e carnivorous ?—or is one 
driven by hunger (I boe no food was È given it) to 
feed upon the e a ? Sre am rather inclined 
to the latter 2. Why did the snake refuse to 
eat the mouse? y probable reason is aR it 
only preys upon pon field-mice, and that house-mice 
unsuited to its palate. W. 
_ Che Villa 6 arden, 
means of a eel rd ; 
cad oft an excel T appliance wart 
in winter and for es ag in summer, There should 
be a kind of box framework at the of the 
exterior of the roof of the ho Ss 
to keep it dry, rope must b ied to 
a fastening in the wall to keep it fixed in its place 
when rolled up. As a matter of course, the roller at 
ee ee ee ae 
{elma a blind in its p uring hi i 
if necessary to let it down ; girri intone? 
o render 
s the i, However, : t 
it th its 
weal prevails ate N 
cold plants, such as Pe 
oe what 
amount largoniums, Fuchsias, 
Azaleas, Primalas, Plumbago capensis, Abatilo ons, 
ms, Cinerarias, Calceo hi sy 
att stand if ie per be dry abou ae Stee: Our 
of the fore- 
practice is, in a house 
‘going and other kinds, some young, so ald, to take 
advantage of a bright sunny, morning following frost 
— MASNE ad by means of a fine 
EEPE pot, and then to open the windows to 
admit of a Am circulation = air, which soon 
any riri out ie floo 
ries u 
of the house which has 
resulted from ‘thé wa á 
whic comfortable temperature for 
a ctnebterible i time. Occasionally the so: t ts 
is frozen hard, but owing to its being dry very little 
eptible ha s as mild weather 
not again re 
time. The sprinkling over-head keeps 
w leaves fresh, clean, = green, an the 
o doubt benefited by 
but little flower can i. expat cted at this ore of the 
year; Abutilon Duc de Malakoff, starv 
e spring-time will set in 
barques of promise many 
pleasant anticipations of what soon shall be when 
Poe es ee days bring an increase of solar heat. 
uses, where artificial heat can 
he case of greenho 
be applied it should be pu this season of the 
only ficat to ods ost. There is a 
year 
fatal tendency am amateur gardeners to fire Ae 
Stage 4 aris a the ret) causing the lea 
» and cai enfi 
shriv using green bo: naa 14 oe 
i Aei extent by reason of the dry, close atmosphere 
that a Unless the frost is very intense, a little 
fire si and pa air should be 
are fine. 
gi sei, and s 
. g at the same time, the continual 
EN robs the shrubs of their aes nutriment ; 
ary | mee part of it- Spender gent 
should therefore 
as 
SHRUBBERY. Y Advantage should be Sag of frosty 
weather to clear leaves out from ami of oes 
out of the 
and 
eaves out, much of the 
hem aps 
spring, where they io ae rot, and furnish some 
ering il for oe fter 
At this season o the year, and on to the month = 
borders an 
ous shrubs and eve 
time for planting decid s, 
some contending for the autumn, and others for the 
pring. Asa general rule they are planted all throug 
the autumn and winter, and enerally with su 
Where renewals e, e ground iini. 
widely as i 
ris 
A VT ll, gently lifting the plants up and do 
for the moist soil to fall a them. Then fill in the 
remaining earth, and tread it firmly about the roots. 
_ Some good advice respecting planting has just 
given by Mr. A. Mo ien. He says—‘‘ Be 
joao too deep. should not be fixed 
Ret ey lower than will bring the soil, when the 
is filled, an inch or two Sata the collar of the 
the collar of a tree gardeners mean that 
— es, 
X an inch a 
he. no i we sands of young trees perish anni anally 
om bein lanted too deep In situations exposed 
to violent wields. i t may be aie able to-plant a little 
deeper, but it is only meeting one evil by substituting 
another ; ould be preferable to und t 
expense and trouble of staking the young trees where 
it is required.” 
t 
surface += is also brought away with t Perha 
it would be well if once in three or 80 some s 
were spri ver the leav hrubberies, . 
which d be an excellent surface-dressing from 
————__--rwrnr eee a 
teh Years Porny; kacape to Home r a 
Use. B na Kitchener : ee 
nr 
FLORAL CHARADE. 
DOUBLE pale: 
man, 
e, youth, or child 
painan saii s Natae 7 artistic and wild 
Indeed ther or t confrère, ; 
tus I 
field or PA 
A style of art to PR well known, 
Graven in wood or carved in stone, 
oral. 
In days of yore with good intent 
I oft 9i ‘er student's a patel bent 
not in 
In forests wild a stalwart t tree ‘ 
eep o'er maidens’ bowery, 
And take z fi cremation. 
Science has aroused the fears 
Of 
For a spirit lu lurks i ii ‘the cup that cheers 
Though not inebriates, 
IV. 
I journey on through 0. a wets 
Rich with the Gra pai 
Ta well-known pet Sate the harvest yield 
s spread o'er the western m 
v, 
A garden wide and fair to v 
Where Nature's fruits and flow. rets grew, 
‘ood, 
My glory long has passed away, 
And none know where I stood. 
Mother, why sent thou Ma daughter to glean 
In the field of thy kinsman king ? 
tr whatever thy motherly pe may have been, — 
was hardly the right sort of thing. 
Vil. 
Frail as thou'rt beautiful ; fragrant of ponent 
seeing Sif power o'er fone and wrea 
Tuo not in thine own home ; yet, caching home 
If here thou art paces what wert thou there? 
Eugène, Let! ii to Flora s heart ao 
Is kno to gre eat j 
For wh o her fragrance gp™ impart SEEE 
So pleasabily to to ; 
IX 
Time was when I, a keen and swarthy wight, 
and meadow held proscriptive right ; 
fatal da 
‘ied swept that right away 
Rotices of Bokit 
La iee et le Beau Temps. Par Paul Laurene 
Rothschild, (Rain and Sunshine, &c.} 
ma nth . rom book intended to instruct beg 
and a n the principles of me 
till 
oe ast 
such books 3 these, a nd vi Wey pre pro opet SO, 
for, un 
well-es tablished, PAR is perce either to keep them out 
if all its statemen Gee cx 
the cur 
suicide.” What would Canon 
Iti is surely time our nearest eee 
above, 
the author. jpet 7 
This is a little volume very much on the pan 
Reser Sor Da ianes, but more nee: 
o be put into the hands of pupils pre 
University F xaminations,” 
ot be inferred from this that ihe book 1 pi : 
