122 THE YOUNG 
expects wonderful returns for her trouble. 
Three weeks later what is the cry ? Why, 
that " these, though fed with careful dirt, 
are neither green nor sappy." Zeal with- 
out knowledge will not go far. What 
more dreary sight than a sickly plant ? 
It affects me as does the sight of a sickly 
child : I cannot help feeling that it suf- 
fers—that its existence is no pleasure to 
it. Though I have not made it part of my 
creed, my instinct is, as was Words- 
worth's, "that every flower enjoys the 
air it breathes," and if it is deprived of 
air, or its lungs obstructed, must it not 
suffer accordingly ? 
Plants call for scientific treatment. 
What is science but knowledge — you 
must know your plants before you can 
manage them — and the fascination of 
learning the nature and needs of growing- 
things is, that you can learn and learn, 
and there still be more to know beyond. 
You learn the rules for treatment of 
classes, and then for families of plants— 
but lo ! they turn out to be like families 
of children— (plant nature is much like 
human-nature)— unthought-of character- 
istics crop up in unexpected places : some 
unnoticed difference in its surroundings, 
some small variation in its conditions, and 
the plant develops peculiarities for which 
you have no precedent, and you are forced 
to study its peculiar needs and minister to 
its particular tendencies. But, if you 
learn to love your plants, you will delight 
in their vagaries, and keenly enjoy every 
fresh demand they make upon your intel- 
ligence. 
The distinctive characteristics of differ- 
^ent classes of plants— as widely distinct 
as different nationalities of people— ren- 
der them the most charming of all aids 
in house decoration ; if you have caught 
the sesthetic craze, stop to consider this 
point. Cut flowers are lovely, and their 
beauties and uses are appreciated, but the 
individual plant, its marked individuality 
setting it apart for special places, uses, 
and occasions, has not been enough con- 
sidered. 
But I would rather you grow plants and 
help create their beauty, than merely en- 
joy the effect produced by another's ef- 
forts. This is not beyond your ability, 
SCIENTIST. 
but success in this is no more an accident 
than in any other department of science. 
The more knowledge you bring to your 
task, the more satisfactory will be the re- 
sult of your labors. Apply your knowl- 
edge with patience. Let occasional fail- 
ure stimulate, not discourage you. So 
will you gain a florist's best capital — 
exiperience. Experimental philosophy for 
me ! 
The beginnings of this science are so 
much more interesting than the begin- 
nings of most. No endless practice of 
straight lines before you can produce a 
thing of beauty ; no wearisome crawling 
up countless scales before you can pro- 
duce sweet harmonies ; no tedious techni- 
calities to wade through, no dry dates to 
master, before you can get at the heart of 
your subject! Take your botany and 
some good work on gardening, if you are 
creditably anxious for exact information, 
but you will find it all delightful ; your 
living illustrations will put life into every 
word and phrase in your text-books, and 
be a constant commentary on the subject- 
matter of your learned treatises. 
Your imagination and reasoning powers 
as well as patience and perseverance, will 
be cultivated in your search after knowl- 
edge in this direction. Until you have 
tried, bright-minded girls, you do not 
know how far this fascinating quest will 
take you, nor in how many directions it 
will invite your eager steps. It has been 
said " A beautiful woman is a liberal edu- 
cator." Beautiful flowers might almost 
be called her rivals. Did not the great 
poet say, as he took a little flower, " ro»t 
and all," in his hand, " Little flower, but 
if I could understand what you are, root 
and all, all in all, I should know what 
God and man is!" 
Suppose some one of you spends your 
leisure in studying the laws of plant-life 
(at least, so far as Mother Nature will let 
you into the beautiful secret) ; see if you 
will not soon say, " For me the humblest 
flower that blows, holds thoughts that lie 
too deep for tears!" and see if, when the 
happy Easter season returns, you are not 
able to express such thoughts in harmo- 
nies of form and color as you never could 
before ! Ellen M. Hoopee. 
