134 An Old-fashioned Garden 



nuisance that requires the collaring of shade- 

 trees with cotton-wool to protedl their foli- 

 age illustrates this ; and what an example is 

 a modern garden filled to overflowing with 

 exotic plants ! An all-important feature is 

 wanting, — birds ; for, except English spar- 

 rows, we have none, and these are worse 

 than useless. 



It was not always so, and the cause of the 

 deplorable change is not hard to find. When- 

 ever we chance, in our wanderings, to come 

 upon some long-neglefted corner of colonial 

 times, there we will find the bloom and birds 

 together. I have said *^ neglefted not 

 quite that, for there was bloom, and the 

 birds are excellent gardeners. 



Let me particularize. My garden is a 

 commonplace affair, with the single innova- 

 tion of a tub sunk in the ground to accom- 

 modate a lotus, — so commonplace, indeed, 

 that no passer-by would notice it ; and yet 

 during a single summer afternoon I have 

 seen within its boundaries fifteen species of 

 birds. At that hottest hour of the midsum- 

 mer day, two p.m., while looking at the 

 huge pink blossoms of the classic lotus, my 

 attention was called to a quick movement 



