686 



BUDS. BLOSSOMS, FRUITS. 



good fortune of remaining unsophisticated in life, man- 

 ners and verse. There are few such poems as these in 

 the rich legacy that Tennyson has left us. "The 

 Goose " is rather a clumsy attempt at wit or burlesque, 

 and his descriptions of nature, though they maybe grand 

 enough to awe us with their beauty, do not draw us to 

 seek such spots or make us love them. Sweet as some 

 of his poems are, even we unskilled critics with no fine 

 crucibles, can see that he knew better how to deal with 

 morbid sentiment and "Light Brigades" than with 

 beauty in nature The much admired sonnet in Maud, 

 despite its charm, seems artificial, and we do not care to 

 "come into the garden " with Maud at all; the Lotos 

 Eaters is drowsy and cynical, as doubtless such a poem 

 should be, but it "leaves a bad taste in the mouth." 

 "May Queen" is simpler, brighter and more natural 

 in style. "Flower in the Crannied Wall" and The 

 Eagle" are two exquisite fragments. "Enoch Arden '* 

 is the sweetest and purest of all Tennyson's romances, 

 and "The Brook" is worthy of even Whittier. 



But the two poets were both great in ways so different 

 that we compare them only for the sake of contrast. 

 American gardens sent flowers to Tennyson's grave, and 

 some of our great men were there to do him honor. We 

 are told that Westminster Abbey could not hold the 

 crowd which thronged about to see his body laid beside 

 Browning's, and that the wreaths and flowers which 

 came to his burial from gardens and historic places all 

 over the world could not all find place near the coffin, 

 but lay in great fragrant heaps to the amount of several 

 wagon-loads on the floor of the Jerusalem Chamber. 

 Our poet's burial befitted him equally well ; more love 

 and less pomp attended it, though perhaps not a less 



crowd, and he was laid nearer to the great heart of 

 nature that he loved so well. 



In " The First Flowers " we find the lines : 

 " Earth's rocky tablets bear forever 



The dint of rain and small bird's track : 

 Who knows but that my idle verses 



May leave some trace by Merrimack !" 

 And the valley of the Merrimac is already becoming clas- 

 sic ground, to which good Americans make pilgrimages. 



Whittier has surely broadened and beautified the 

 world for naturalists, botanists, farmers and gardeners- 

 "Maud Miiller," "Among the Hills," "Snowbound" 

 and "Tent on the Beach" bring out clearly all the 

 simple dignity and happiness of rural life. " The Corn 

 Song" and "An Autumn Festival" might be sung at 

 every husking-bee. One feels the beauty and truth in 

 "The Frost Spirit " keenly this time o' year, and the 

 "Last Walk in Autumn" is admired and quoted as 

 much as any poem of Whittier's. "The Mayflower" 

 and "The Palm Tree" present striking and sharply 

 contrasting pictures of northern and tropical life, and 

 here is a Thanksgiving song that every New England 

 gardener might sing this month over his pumpkin pie : 

 " O Painter of the fruits and flowers ! 

 We thank thee for thy wise design 

 Whereby these human hands of ours 

 In nature's garden work with thine. 



And thanks that from our daily need, 



The joy of simple faith is born ; 

 That he who smites the summer weed, 



May trust thee for the autumn corn. 



Give fools their gold and knaves their power ; 



Let fortune's bubbles rise and fall ; 

 Who sows a field or trains a flower. 



Or plants a tree is more than all." 



COMMENTS BY READERS. 



[Readers are invited to contribute to this department. If y. 

 that recorded in any recent article in this magazine, or if you can 

 the Editor will welcome your contributions.'] 



Citrus Trifoliata. — (Page 497.) Permit me to thank 

 W. F. Massey for advice in regard to Cilriis tfij'oliata, 

 viz. : to pinch off the ends of the green shoots to induce 

 early ripening. Its roots will evidently stand the winters 

 of south-eastern Michigan, and, as it will as evidently 

 stand an indefinite amount of abuse and neglect, it may 

 anywhere in the northern states be enjoyed as a pot 

 plant, at least. It is with me almost entirely exempt 

 from insect pests, and is perfectly healthy. — H.Purfield, 

 Michigan. 



Citrus Trifoliata as a Hedge-Plant. — (Page 497 ) 

 I am much interested in what W. F. Massey says about 

 Citrus trifoliata. My experience with it as a hedge- 

 plant is very satisfactory. I have my whole orchard and 

 nursery surrounded with it. The hedge is now six feet 

 high, and makes an inpenetrable barrier to thieves, cattle 

 and hogs. I am told that a hedge of the Citrus trifoii' 

 ata will last 500 years or more. By the time my fence 

 rots down, the hedge will be large enough to take its 



our experience, observation, or well-founded opinion differs from 

 add anything of special interest to the statements of other writers 



place. I have set the plants a foot apart, close to the 

 fence, and cultivate them only on one side. They do not 

 occupy as much space as the Osage orange or Cherokee 

 rose. I cut them back when two years old, and use the 

 wood for cuttings. I find that cuttings set in September 

 will strike root readily. It is not advisable to plant the 

 cuttings where you want the hedge ; plant them in nur- 

 sery rows. This will afiord a better opportunity to give 

 them good cultivation. When rooted, set them along 

 the fence, and keep them clear of weeds for two or 

 three years ; after this no more cultivation will be re- 

 quired. I have had very little success with imported 

 seed of C. trifoliata ; not ten per cent of such seed 

 germinated.. You must import the fruit in order to get 

 the seed fresh. I will soon have as much seed as I want, 

 as my four-year-old trees are now full of fruit. — J. L. 

 NoRMAND, Louisiana. 



Elm Tree in a Low Spot. — (Page 492.) I believe 

 some one inquired awhile ago if the ground could be 



