TllE rASSION-FLOWER. 15 



thoiiij;-lit and deed. Tliey readily saw iu ihis Hower the 

 eudjlenis of the ytory <>! the Itedeiiijilinii, The leaf (jt 

 the plant represents the spcai' w ith wliieli the Saviuiir was 

 piereed ; the threails that form the eonma reprei^ent the 

 seouriJ'e ; tla.' Ii\'e stamens represent the crown of thorns ; 

 the columir is the staff to which the seour!_;e was attached ; 

 the three ehivate st i<_;aiuis that rise al)i ''e the Uowrrare 

 the nails tlsat were used in the eriieilixion ; tlie outer rays 

 of the llower — sejials live^, petals h\e — ten in nundjerj re- 

 jireseut the aposthjs — and ten will sulliee;, smee nature 

 affords no more, and the two that uia}' Ije counted as missing- 

 are Peter who denied and Judas who betrayed the Master. 

 By another I'enderino- of thr mystie s\anholj the eoroiui 

 lieeonies the eloud of witnesses ; the circles liceonie rays of 

 i^-lory ; the Jive stamens are the live sacraments of the 

 Romish Church or the live ]>oints of Protestant doctrine; 

 while the three sti!j;mas lliat surmount and cr(jwn the 

 dower are the three Persons (jf the Adoraljle Godhead. 



To cultivate this hue plant is a. very simple business, 

 provided we can beuui \vilh :i rich, mellow, Avell-drauied 

 soil and a warm \\M of sullicieut breadth for its full de- 

 velopment. The I'cst is easy, for it consists merely iu 

 reg'ularly training' m the yrowth by means of nails and 

 shreds, or liy tyuiy to a ti-ellis, and (jceasioualK- pruning- 

 away any shoots that appear out of j)lace, m- that tend to 

 i-row'd one another. The less prumno- the better, L.-enerally 

 sjieakiuL;- ; therefore the cultivator need uot often think of 

 this matter. But in the event of any accident that dislig-ures 

 a fine plant, it is good practice to cut the whole of it down 

 to the ground line, and wait for a new growth to clothe the 

 wall, for this will come ijuickly, whereas it may require years 

 to fill up a g-ap caused )iy severe frost or mechani(.-al injury. 



