WEEDS. 67 



remainder on a piece of waste land alongside 

 the stream. At the expiration of twelve months 

 the resulting mould was carted down to a garden 

 in the village. The gardener there, and all 

 practical men who have inspected it, pronounce 

 it to be as good a lot of garden mould as could 

 be obtained, and predict that the show of bloom 

 and crop of vegetables in that garden next 

 summer will astonish the natives. If so, it may 

 be anticipated that there will be an active 

 demand for cut weeds in future seasons for 

 other gardens in the vicinity. 



There is no more frequent cause of annoyance Drifting 



weeds while 



to fly fishermen than cut weeds drifting down, fishing. 

 How often one's favourite reach is rendered 

 impossible by the action of some thoughtless 

 keeper sending his cut weeds down just at the 

 time the trout are rising ! Perhaps all day the 

 patient angler has watched and waited in vain, 

 and just in the cool of the evening, simul- 

 taneously with the first appearance of the fly on 

 the water and the first shy movement of the 

 fish, a few patches of bright green, freshly cut 

 weeds are seen slowly approaching. Perhaps 

 the fisherman waits on, hoping against hope, 

 only to find that instead of small straggling 

 patches, it comes no longer " single spies, but 

 in battalions." Perhaps he walks miles up- 

 stream and finds the keeper of the water above 



F 2 



