190 WOOD AND GARDEN 



sharp look-out for any worms you may happen to turn 

 up; and you ■will find out that there are all sorts of 

 ways of learning, not only from people and books, but 

 from sheer trying. 



I remember years ago having to learn to use the 

 blow-pipe, for soldering and other purposes coimected 

 with work in gold and silver. The difficult part of it 

 is to keep up the stream of air through the pipe while 

 you are breathing the air in ; it is easy enough when 

 you only want a short blast of a few seconds, within 

 the compass of one breath or one fiUing of the bellows 

 (limgs), but often one has to go on blowing through 

 several inspirations. It is a trick of' muscular action. 

 My master who taught me never could do it himself, 

 but by much trying one day I caught the trick. 



The grand way to learn, in gardening as in all things 

 else, is to wish to learn, and to be determined to find 

 out — not to think that any one person can wave a 

 wand and give the power and knowledge. And there 

 will be plenty of mistakes, and there must be, just as 

 children must pass through the usual childish com- 

 plaints. And some people make the mistake of trying 

 to begin at the end, and of using recklessly what may 

 want the utmost caution, such, for instance, as strong 

 chemical manures. 



C Some ladies asked me why their plant had died. 



VThey had got it from the very best place, and they 



were sure they had done their very best for it, and — 



there it was, dead. I asked what it was, and how 



