■VTEEDS AND BRAMBLES. 91 



Leave your garden, make a journey, and return after a 

 year's absence. 



Certain little running trefoils, dog-grass, nettles, and chick- 

 weed cover the earth in such profusion in a few weeks, that 

 they seem to wish to devour all the substance, in order that 

 there may be none left for the strangers ; they starve and 

 smother the low plants; the trees which we have imposed 

 upon the soil appear to brave their efforts, but the ivy climbs 

 slowly from their feet to their summit, embraces them closely, 

 and dominates over them triumphantly with its green gar- 

 lands. From that time the tree is conquered, it must suc- 

 cumb ; there comes a season in which trees have lost their 

 leaves ; it is the season in which high winds begin to prevail ; 

 in general their naked branches resist, because they afford 

 little hold for the wind, but the close leaves of the ivy form 

 a saU which receives it, makes the tree bend, and. frequently 

 breaks it ; lichens have helped it, they have covered the trunk 

 and the branches of the tree with a cuirass that has deprived 

 it of the mild influences of the rain and the sun ; it has lost 

 much of its strength, when the ivy, by means of the winds, 

 brings it down upon the grass. 



Brambles, on their part, armed with sharp points, spring 

 up to the assault of the shrubs. Like that giant, the son of 

 Tellus, who fought with Hercules, and recovered his strength 

 every time he touched the earth, the bramble takes root at 

 every point of its long ibranches that comes in contact with 

 the soil ; it forms arches aud iaiextrioable nets ; it embraces 

 and strangles them. 



This is not all : the revolt is propagated among the plants 

 which we believed to be our allies, or the most faithful and 

 submissive of our slaves. 



The wild rose has caused the king we imposed upon him 

 to die with hunger, and insolently raises his thorny branches 

 around the withered and crownless head of the dethroned 

 monarch. 



The almond-tree upon which we had grafted the peach, has 

 denied his sap to the usurper; the peach branch is dead, but 

 the almond has thrown out numerous shoots, its own children, 

 which it nourishes with the affection of a parent. 



The piece of water is become a marsh filled with frogs ; 



