THEY SAY. 



501 



tion has been drawn upon, his delicacy of sentiment has 

 been quickened, and the tender feelings for one kind of 

 natural beauty goes hand in hand with a feeling for 

 other kinds. Because a boy loves a rose, the more 

 likely he is to love a bird, and when he loves a bird he 

 has begun the lesson of tender affection for all things 

 great and small which helps in the making of every 



Fig. 5. Honest measure— 17 years. Fig. 6. Penurious— 18 years 

 grace of character. And so one should be glad of the 

 roses on the street corners — glad both with the eye and 

 the heart— and of the tulips in the parks in their sea- 

 son, and for the water lilies when they come, and for the 

 glowing geraniums, and for every unkempt little fellow 

 who stands gazing with intent eyes at their beauty. He 

 is taking in lessons, perhaps, that neither teacher nor 

 preacher could give him. — A'. Y. Sun. 



Fresh Flowers. 



We cannot make a hedge so tight 



About the flowers we plant and prize, 



But some wild bird with canny eyes 

 Shall see, and wing a happier flight. 



As soon as one red bud shall ope, 

 The eager fingers of the breeze 

 Will bear new perfume through the trees. 



Or down the hill, or up the slope. 



Then some who pass with hurrying tread, 

 Shall think of childhood's happy round 

 Within some far-off garden ground. 



And, musing, see no clouds o'erhead. 



And those who gaze into our face 

 Shall know, though reading not its name. 

 That we have found than gold, than fame, 



Something more full of io>' and grace, 



And straightway seek with strengthened powers 



The hopes which, baffled, early fled. 



The living where the sod looks dead. 

 To find and keep new cheer, fresh flowers. 



— Ch.^rles N. Sinnett. 



. The Colors of Flower Gardens. — It does not require 

 any knowledge of color, considered as a subject of in- 

 quiry to appreciate the beauty of flowers, and yet we 

 are willing to credit the fact that our gardeners are 

 ready to welcome, more information than is current on 

 this interesting topic. Professor Church's little book 

 on color, recently published, is not only the latest, but 

 a sound, brief and practical treatise, and it does not cost 

 much, although fairly well supplied with chromatic 



, 7. In a hurry — 19 years. 



illustrations. In reference to the coloring of flowers 

 and foliage. Professor Church writes : 



"If we take a small piece of violet gelatine (used for 

 crackers, bonbons, etc.), mount 

 it on a black card and look at a 

 flower-garden through it, a ser- 

 ies of effects of the following 

 sort will be observed : Mature 

 green foliage seen in shadow as- 

 sumes a slaty-gray color ; young 

 leaves appear of a decided gray- 

 pink; the yellow patches on the 

 foliage of the golden euonymus 

 and aucuba are light red ; the 

 yellow tulip and the blossoms p.^ 

 of the common gorse become a 

 brilliant and more intense crimson-scarlet ; dark brown 

 wall flowers have a crimson hue ; a bed of white and 

 yellow tulips contain nothing but pale lilac and bright 

 scarlet flowers ; blue, violet and purple flowers are 

 altered in hue to a much slighter extent. Without 

 doubt, the extraordinary increase of diversity of tones 

 and hues in tiie foliage of trees, tnhiih is brought 

 about by the interposition of this violet flni. corresponds to 

 real differences lohich commonly escape observation. Par- 

 ticularly is this the case with the regular refections of sky 

 and cloud hues from the glossy surfaces cf leaves and the 

 peculiar colors of their immature foliage ." [Italics ours.] 

 We should be glad to quote other passages of similar 

 interest to gardeners, but content ourselves with this 

 morsel from the interesting and valuable little volume. 



Making the Most of the Garden. — We do not refer 

 to the ground, but to the garden — qua garden. Let us, 

 for once, sum the various ways in which it is made use- 

 ful by diverse persons. 



There are, first of all, those who like the gay colors 

 of blooms, and enjoy the carpet garden or the little knot 

 of annuals before a cottage, but have little specific liking 

 for flowers. Next comes the gardener who has a fond- 

 ness for varieties. He appreciates color and form, but 



In busMiess for himself— 

 21 years. 



has a genuine love for species and new beauties. The 

 collector is a little more extreme. He discovers a life- 

 long, increasing interest in a single order and class of 

 plants. If he has some scientific taste, then, like Mr. 



