92 



[May, 



BIRDS IN THE GARDEN. 



Those who devote their gardens to the 

 growing of flowers exclusively deprive them- 

 selves of a large share of its pleasures. I 

 would as soon be without flowers as without 

 birds, and therefore cultivate both. A thicket 

 of shoots around a Morello Cherry tree, and 

 a bush fence long one entire side of the gar- 

 den, with its grassy coverts that never know 

 scythe or sickle, are entirely devoted to the 

 accommodation of birds. And I am very 

 successful, too, for birds are canny folk, 

 and know their friends; they throng about 

 my grounds, and do half of my work for me, 

 — the most disagreeable part, — the catching 

 of caterpillars, beetles, and worms of all 

 sorts. 



The song-sparrows are my most useful as- 

 sistants, as they remain all the year round, 

 and, by feeding them in the garden-beds in 

 winter, they become domesticated, and hauut 

 them all summer. I have had no English 

 sparrows until this spring ; but a few days 

 ago I saw a pair of my half-tame song-spar- 

 rows chase two male English sparrows from 

 the feeding-place under my window. I lie- 

 held the rout of the intruders with great 

 joy, you may be sure, and I do all I can to 

 drive them off ; but the food, always lying 

 ready for my own sparrows, attracts them. 

 They drove the bluebirds out of the garden, 

 the other day, whereat I was most indig- 

 nant, for I dearly love the gentle creatures. 

 I have never seen a bluebird fight : they 

 always retire before the least show of ani- 

 mosity. I hope my fine cock-robin will take 

 the English sparrows in hand, for he is a 

 gallant fellow, and seems to consider the 

 garden his especial property. But, for pluck, 

 the song-sparrows are unsurpassed. I saw 

 one of them chase a mouse away from their 

 corn-meal last summer. I put dry corn-meal 

 in little heaps about a water-dish, and the 

 sparrows eat it all summer. Cat-birds, too, 

 are fond of meal — or, at least, they will eat 

 it before fruits are ripe. 



My cat-birds are almost as tame as the 

 sparrows, and are very amusing and useful. 

 They have an especial liking for a large, 

 green caterpillar, that I do not care to med- 

 dle with myself. They also eat ants, and are 

 very expert at catching beetles and other 

 winged things. They do not come until 

 May, and leave in September, and the gar- 

 den always seems lonesome after they are 

 gone. They raise two broods, of four birds 

 to a brood ; so that in September, when both 

 broods come off safely, I have ten cat-birds 

 feasting in my Wild-Cherry tree. This Wild- 

 Cherry tree is a very attractive object to the 

 birds. The golden-winged woodpecker is 

 fond of the cherries. The robins also prefer 

 them to grapes, which are ripe at the same 

 time. 



The tree stands quite close to the house, 

 so that I can observe the habits of the birds 

 quite at my ease. 



Many wood-birds visit my garden that I 

 do not know the names of. Last spring, for 

 the first time, I saw a scarlet tanager. I did 

 not go in quest of him, he came to me and 

 staid about my garden for several days. He 

 fairly illuminated the place, and the common 

 garden-birds seemed rather plain and homely 



while he was about. The white-crowned 

 sparrow always spends a few days with me 

 when returning from the South, and partakes 

 of my homely fare of corn-meal and bread- 

 crumbs along with his little cousins ; but 

 how proudly he carries his head ! He reallv 

 seems to know there is a crown upon it. 



The goldfinches are dainty little things, as 

 gay as the butterflies, and if you have plenty 

 of Columbines and let them go to seed, the 

 goldfinches will find them out and come to 

 see you every day, and they will also apply 

 themselves to your aphides, if you have any. 

 I have often watched them eating the latter 

 on the Cherry tree near my window. 



The care and companionship of birds offers 

 a never-failing source of enjoyment to any 

 one fond of nature, and I would advise ladies 

 who cannot go to the woods and fields in 

 search of them to try my plan and draw the 

 birds to their own homes. 



Jenny Dare. 



WHAT THEY ATE TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 



An Englishman's appetite had always 

 been famous. He was fond of good, solid 

 eating. The farmer always had his flitches 

 of bacon and his salt mutton on hand, in 

 addition to salt beef and barreled herrings 

 from Yarmouth. In all good houses there 

 was an imposing array of salting-tubs. The 

 art of stall-feeding was almost unknown, 

 and fresh meat, if procurable in winter, was 

 very lean. It cost from a half- penny to a 

 penny per pound, which was equal to a 

 penny or two-pence of our money. Fresh 

 fish was the luxury of the rich, obtained 

 from their own ponds and streams. Salt 

 fish was a common article of diet among 

 the working-classes. 



Cakes of oats and spice were on all good 

 tables. Pies and pastries were made of all 

 sorts of things. Page invited Falstaff and 

 his friends to a dinner of "hot venison 

 pasty," wound up by "pippins and cheese." 



Very few vegetables were used, and some 

 were regularly imported and salted down. 

 Cabbages and Onions were sent from Holland 

 to Hull. Lettuce was served as a separate 

 dish, and eaten at supper before meat. 

 Capers were usually eaten boiled, with oil 

 and vinegar as a salad. Eschalots were used 

 to smear the plate before putting meat on it. 

 Carrots had been introduced by the Flem- 

 ings. Rhubarb, then called Patience, came 

 from China about 1573. The common people 

 ate turnip-leaves as a salad, and roasted the 

 root in wood ashes. Watercress was be- 

 lieved to restore the bloom to young ladies' 

 cheeks. In fact, all vegetables were re- 

 garded more as medicines than as necessary 

 articles of food. Flesh meals were more 

 believed in than anything else. They were 

 eaten with a knife and a napkin. "The 

 laudable use of forks," as Ben Johnson has 

 it, did not commence until 1611, and was 

 rare for many years after. The custom came 

 from Italy, and the first forks were pre- 

 served in glass cases as curiosities. A 

 jewelled one was among the New-Year's gifts 

 to Queen Elizabeth. Probably the absence 

 of vegetables had something to do with the 

 immense potations of the time. Iago said 

 the English could beat all other nations, and 

 were " most potent in potting." As Tea did 

 not come into England until 1610, and 

 Coffee until 1652, beer or wine was taken 

 at all meals. — The England of Sliakespeare. 



SONGS OF THE SCIENCES. 



BOTANY. 



What reck I, though she be fair, 

 If the flowers are not her care ; 

 It she ponder not upon 

 Many a Dicotyledon ; 

 If she have no admiration 

 For all forms of aestivation 1 



Let her learn, through happy hours, 

 Properties of plants and flow'rs; 

 Know how Watercress should lie 

 Rank'd with the Ouciferre; 

 How the Sundew, without question, 

 Darwin tells us, has digestion. 



If perchance her ardor burns 

 For the Ciyptogaruie Ferns, 

 She will see how spores become 

 Cased in the Tudusium, 

 And how wondrously you vary 

 Scolopendrium vulgare ! 



She shall calmly learn to state 

 Clover is tri-foliate; 

 And describe in words exact, 

 Awn and axis, blade and bract : 

 So shall I, in her sweet presence, 

 Find my love hath inflorescence. 



—Punch. 



CHARLES ARNOLD. 



With the death of Mr. Charles Arnold of 

 Paris, Ontario, Canada, which occurred on 

 the 15th of last month, the country loses, 

 one of its most intelligent and enthusiastic 

 horticulturists. He was born December 1 8, 

 | 1818, in Bedfordshire, England, and came 

 I to America in 1833. In early life he worked 

 at the carpenter trade, but his taste for 

 plants, and natural objects attracted him 

 soon to the nursery business, which he fol- 

 lowed up to the time of his death. 



Few men on this continent have done so 

 much for the imrjrovement and advance- 

 ment of horticulture in general as Mr. Ar- 

 nold. He was always a careful observer and 

 i successful experimenter, and many highly 

 i valued Grapes, Raspberries, Strawberries, 

 I Cereals, and various vegetables, are the 

 result of his experiments in cross-fertiliza- 

 tion. The most valuable and most exten- 

 sively known of these is the American 

 Wonder Pea, which, being the first Pea 

 originated on American soil that has ever 

 attained a world-wide reputation and recog- 

 nition, marks an important epoch in the 

 history of American horticulture. Had his 

 life been spared, our lists of fruits and 

 vegetables would, no doubt, have received 

 from his hands many other valuable addi- 

 tions especially adapted for our climate. 

 Two of his new Peas which have been on 

 trial for a few seasons, and which Mr. Ar- 

 nold considered superior to any existing va- 

 rieties, will probably be introduced another 



Up to within a short time previous to his 

 death he was actively engaged in his experi- 

 ments, and his communications to us, writ- 

 ten only a few weeks before his death, and 

 which will appear in future numbers of The 

 American Garden, are so full of vigor and 

 energy that the news of his death was re- 

 ceived with painful surprise and deep regret. 

 Those who enjoyed his more intimate ac- 

 quaintance have lost a friend whose place 

 can probably never be filled. 



