THE COTTAGE GARDEN. 
129 
blinds is a pretty one, but they are too often trained in stiff and 
straight lines ; a poetical idea, tirte a quatre ipingles. Frequently 
we see a cottage with a door in the centre, and one window on 
each side, and ^ines trained over the sashes in this way, which 
gives it an odd look, like a house in green spectacles, as it were. 
When hop-vines are used for screening the windows, which is 
often the case, the plant is not so easily restrained ; and throwing 
out its luxuriant branches right and left, takes care of itself. 
Currants are almost the only fruit seen in tlie smaller gardens 
of our neighborhood ; even gooseberries are not so general ; both 
raspberries and strawberries grow wild here in such profusion that 
few persons cultivate them. Cm-rants, by-the-by, both black and 
red, are also native plants ; the black currant is by no means rare 
in this State, and very much resembles the varieties cultivated in 
gardens ; the wild red currant is chiefly confined to the noi'thern 
parts of the country, and it is precisely like that which we culti- 
vate. Both piu'ple and green gooseberries are also found wild in 
our woods. 
It is often a matter of surprise and i-egret that fiaiit shorild not 
be more cultivated among us in gardens of all sizes ; but the in- 
different common cherry is almost the only fruit-tree fomid here 
in cottage gardens. Even the farmers neglect cherries, and plums, 
and pears, surprisingly. Peaches and grapes seldom ripen here 
in the open air ; they might probably be cultivated as wall fruit, 
but it is so easy now to procure them by railroad from other 
counties, that few persons care to try experiments of this kind. 
Peaches, and melons, and plums, brought from a distance, are 
canied about the village for sale, throughout the season, as a mat- 
ter of coimse. 
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