May 12, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



347 



ways of her household, but, negleoting her children, goeth about 

 to talk of cats, dogs, horses, and flowers. Her mind is good, so 

 far as it goes, but its scope is not wide. When she visits my 

 friend, she never notices the rare trees which are his joy and 

 pride, nor the velvet lawn, nor the antique vases, nor tho fine 

 outlooks into the surrounding scenery, which he has opened 

 with so much artistic Bk ill; but she begins at once to harrass 

 him with talk about some petty detail, generally of her own 

 experience. Now she chatters away about sowing flower-seeds, 

 then how to cure a sick cat, how to strike cuttings, how to poul- 

 tice a felon, how to save seods ; and she dwells on each point 

 with a minuteness and long repetition, that — that " beats the 

 Dutch." And all this sort of talk while walking through one 

 of the finest gardens in all this region of country ! She finishes 

 up each visit by begging a few cuttings and a few seeds, and 

 then, with a curtsy and a bewitching smile, bids adieu. 



The question now returns Mr. Editor, which is the proper 

 way to make a horticultural visit ? It strikes me I should not 

 make it an occasion for disparaging my friend's garden and 

 extolling my own. It is not best to waste his time, and tax his 

 patience, by chattering away about some trivial details, or such 

 matters as can just as well be discussed elsewhere. I should 

 leave my garden at home when 1 go to visit his. Instead of 

 pulling at his button-hole, and engrossing the time with my sage 

 observations, I should listen to him, in a receptive state of mind, 

 desirous to see and learn, and enjoy all I can ; and, when my 

 visit is ended, I should thank him for the pleasure he has 

 afforded me. 



And, sir, I gladly testify that I do receive such visits now and 

 then. Some persons show at once that they appreciate what 

 they see ; instead of criticising, or making invidious comparisons, 

 they heartily admire, and express their pleasure without stint. 

 Others walk along more quietly, confessing their ignorance of 

 gardening in its higher forms, but begging me to tell them the 

 name of this and that, and the origin of the other ; and they re- 

 ceive all that they see and hear with evident satisfaction. It is a 

 great pleasure to receive such guests. 



And, now that we are on this subject, let me add a few words 

 more on another branch of it. The middle of the day is not a 

 desirable time for visiting gardens ; for then the light falls verti- 

 cally, and the shadows of trees and shrubs are almost impercep- 

 tible. If, too, it is midsummer, the heat of noon is so intense 

 that the visitor puffs and sweats, and feels that he is pursuing 

 enjoyment under difficulties. Half the poetry of a garden is lost 

 by viewing it under a broiling sun. Go, rather, in the morning, 

 when the dew is sparkling on tree and grass, and when the birds 

 are musical ; or, go at evening, when the shadows fall aslant, 

 when the heat has abated, and the cool air is fragrant. 



[You have hit upon a suggestive theme, and painted it in life- 

 like colours. We are sorry to say that just such ill-bred persons 

 do own country places ; but how painfully plain it is that they 

 were not educated for them, that they are strangely out of place, 

 that neither is fitted for the other any more than jewels are 

 fitted to adorn animated pork. Oh that these men would learn 

 the wisdom of silence ! Few things are more painfully annoying 

 than a visit from a man full of pompous pretension : he will 

 neither enjoy anything himself, nor let you. No matter how 

 well grown or beautiful your plants may be, he always has 

 something better at home: no word of praise or commendation 

 ever escapes his lips, be it ever so well deserved. He runs his 

 round of stereotyped depreciation, departs, and you feel as if you 

 had been relieved of some hateful nightmare. We can remember 

 with satisfaction more than once having knocked the stilts from 

 under such men, and precipitated them to their proper level. 

 We never fail to do it when we can ; for a man has no right, 

 moral or otherwise, to be unamiable at his friend's house. The 

 world is no better for such men, but quite the reverse. We 

 would reason thus with them : When you enter a friend's garden 

 do try and leave at the gate all egotism and selfishness, and 

 resolve to please and be pleased. Remember with how much 

 care your friend has collected the plants about him, and how 

 much enjoyment he finds in them. Remember that. they are all 

 beautiful, some more, some less : this you cannot help feeling, 

 though you may not acknowledge it. Remember, above all, 

 that they are the handiwork of Infinite Goodness, and speak 

 not contemptuously of them, even to heighten the praises of your 

 own. If you want to hear your own plants praised, ask your 

 friend to come and see them ; and if he is barely a sensible man, 

 with a heart alive to the proprieties of life, and a nice appreciation 

 of the beauties of nature, you will hear enough to make a reason- 



able and modest man content ; for how much better it is that 

 another should praise us than that we should praise ourselves. 



Having disposed of the man, what shall we do with the 

 woman ? We fear we shall have to put on a pair of soft kid 

 gloves. The treatment in this case must be gentle and soothing. 

 When she begins to talk about cats and dogs, tell her, as she 

 seems to be so very fond of thorn, you will send her a good litter, 

 which you must forthwith do. Send a fresh litter every time 

 she broaches the subject, and in time she will take the hint, and 

 carefully avoid the mention of cats and dogs in your presence. 

 In like manner treat other inapposite subjects — for instance, 

 when she talks about a poultice for a felon, say to her, " Well, 

 well ; but is that poultice good for the Black Knot ? " You 

 will be able to manage her in this way. Fortunately, there are 

 only about three such women in the world ; and the rest of 

 them are such dear delightful creatures, and love flowers so 

 fondly, flitting about among them like butterflies, sucking sweets 

 from each, that you can well afford to bear with the three that 

 are full of cats, and dogs, and felons, and what not. 



You have a just and proper conception of what a horticultural 

 visit ought to be. When we make such visits, we go for the 

 purpose of learning and enjoyment, and to make our friends as 

 happy as may be. Horticultural intercourse often is, and always 

 might be made, a source of the purest enjoyment. There is 

 something in horticulture that tends strongly to develope and 

 expand man's social qualities ; the only drawbacks to this are 

 the selfishness and egotism of unregenerate human nature. 

 What a delightful thing it is to receive a visit from one who 

 knows the lull value and beauty of your plants, and has the 

 manliness to say so. We see you understand this perfectly. 

 You are altogether right in regard to the best time to visit the 

 garden. It is surprising how few think of this, and yet a whole 

 chapter might be written about it.] — (American Horticulturist.) 



GAEDEN" HELPS. 



Although on various late occasions I have perused with great 

 interest the numerous contributions respecting " garden helps " 

 inserted in your valued periodical, I purposely abstained from 

 remitting my present communication until now, because the 

 period of the year is closely approaching when young birds of 

 the kind desired will be easily procurable at a very moderate cost ; 

 and again I fancied a word in season the most appropriate to 

 insure a trial among those of your readers who feel interested in 

 such matters. Permit me to preface my remarks by stating that 

 a walled garden is indispensable, otherwise, most probably, dis- 

 appointment will ensue. 



When I recall the incidents connected with the great variety 

 of " pets " kept many years back by my late sister and self, and 

 in respect to which it was difficult to determine which of the 

 two felt the deeper interest in those hobbies, I believe our tame 

 lapwings afforded us the greatest amount of pleasure and benefit, 

 and for some six or Beven years they prospered exceedingly. 

 Our birds at the outset were casually brought to us by a country 

 friend, and, if memory is not defective, were five in number. 

 It is sufficient for present purposes to say that two males and 

 a female were reared to maturity. When we first received them 

 they were only partially feathered, but were strong healthy birds. 

 We then fed them on the large dew-worms, expressly collected 

 for their use, and, to increase the supply of food at the least 

 amount of personal exertion, small strips of raw lean beef were 

 added, although they gave a decided preference to the living 

 worms. In a fortnight or so we turned them altogether on their 

 own resources in the garden, and they still throve even more so 

 than previously — in fact, they received no particular care or 

 attention ; but it is justice to say that the quantity of snails, 

 worms, in fact insects of every kind, they daily devoured was 

 beyond credence. 



The benefit to the damp garden we at that time occupied: 

 was of course commensurate ; for, after their introduction, the 

 crops never suffered as previously from the " slugs," through 

 the ravages of which our gardener said, " it was impossible to 

 grow anything :" consequently, he at length acknowledged them 

 as some of "his best friends," though at the first sadly averse 

 to their introduction. A point of considerable importance is 

 that they never interfered, to the best of my knowledge, with any 

 crop whatever ; and taking into consideration the fact that they 

 fed almost exclusively on insects and worms, the excrement was 

 not as offensive to the eye as would be anticipated — so much so, 



