150 
A STROLL THROUGH THE GARDEN, 
Br A TUTOR AND HIS PUPIL, IN THE MONTH OF APRIL. 
Now that we have really spring weather, 
we will take a turn through all the gardens 
and houses, for everything seems animated, 
and the gardeners busy. The winter, you 
observe, has made even the hard paths rotten 
and soft, so that the men are rolling the gravel 
to press it down into its place. The cabbages 
are growing rapidly ; you may see that the 
forwardest are all going to heart. These 
hearts, however, are soft, and pretty nearly 
green all through ; but many of the most 
advanced are tied in tight with a piece of 
matting to confine them, that the inside may 
be whitened earlier than it would be if not 
confined. The peas that were struck so early 
are growing rapidly. Many of the rows of 
brocoli are nearly all cut, and the winter 
greens generally have been a good deal cleared 
away for the supply of the table the last two 
months, so much so that they are pulling the 
rest up to clear the ground. Those that have 
not become fit to cut yet, will be put in close 
together in some waste corner and complete 
themselves there. Observe the man hoeing 
out the turnips and carrots that were first 
sowed ; you see he destroys all the plants that 
are at all crowded, leaving only one plant to 
every six inches of ground, and he cuts up all 
the weeds at the same time. See, also, another 
at the earliest onions. They would have done 
very well had they been sown much thinner, 
for he cuts up a great many. Those beds 
that are raised up above the others a good 
deal are asparagus beds. They will soon send 
up their shoots fit for cutting. The crowns 
of these plants, which are the tops of the 
roots, are eight or nine inches below the sur- 
face ; so that when a bud shows above ground, 
the gatherer digs down by the side of the 
shoot, and cuts it oif with five or six inches 
of white stem. Now, this is totally useless 
and not eatable, contrary to almost every 
plant in nature; for the whitened part under- 
ground of celery, kale, leek, &c. is more tender 
for blanching, while this is more tough. The 
digging, sowing, hoeing, raking, &c. are going 
on more than ever ; but there is nothing very 
new in any of the work. The greenhouse, 
as you now see, is well supplied with flowers. 
All the acacias, hoveas, chorozemas, and many 
heaths are in bloom, and many of the camellias 
are in flower still. The hothouse has a few 
beauties, and the grapes are wonderfully ad- 
vanced. If you take notice, every vine shows 
a different season : this is caused partly by 
the branches bein^ brought into the house at 
different times, and partly by their being 
of difi'erent sorts. The dahlias that ai^e in pots 
{\ve shooting up in all directions; when these 
are long enough to take off two complete 
joints, they are cut just below the leaf, the 
lower leaves taken off, and the cutting struck 
under a bell-glass in small pots. All those 
small plants under the glasses are dahlias, 
struck and striking. The shrubbery begins 
to look cheerful. The China roses, Pyrus 
japonica, azaleas, rhodoras, lilacs, and other 
spring flowering shrubs ai'e getting very for- 
ward, and will soon be in full bloom. Here 
we are at the conservatory, which is in 
perfection. Those rhododendrons, Chinese 
azaleas, roses, and deciduous azaleas, have all 
been hastened by protection, and brought 
forward in the place you see them ; others 
by the hothouse and greenhouse. Those few 
odd-shaped flowers on long spikes are of the 
orchidaceous tribe, while there is abundance of 
all the spring flowers which we may not have 
for some time out of doors. The flower- 
garden is now interesting. Observe the beds 
of pansies, how many of them are blooming, 
and how brilliant they appear. All this loose - 
looking earth between the plants is decomposed 
dung — that is, dung rotted into mould. Every 
shower of rain washes some of the virtues of 
it down to the roots, and gives great strength 
to the plants, which throw up larger flowers 
in consequence. The wallflowers are all in 
bloom, and fill the air with delightful perfume ; 
and the hyacinths and early tulips are giving 
us the benefit of their beautiful colours. The 
crocuses seem to have gone past their prime ; 
but there is no end to the subjects that are 
emulating each other, as it were, in the de- 
velopment of their flowers. But look at the 
interesting display in the tulip bed ; although 
not a bud has come to its colour or size, nothing 
can surpass the symmetry and beauty of their 
stately forms. Even the hyacinth bed, which 
is as large and more varied in its coloured 
pyramid of flowers, does not seem so noble 
as the collection of tulips drawn up, as it 
were, in military array, with the tallest in the 
middle rows, and the lower ones on each side. 
In another fortnight, it will form a canopy of 
flowers, supported by innumerable upright 
green pillars, presenting an object which 
nothing can surpass ; while this awning over 
our heads will protect them from the sun and 
rain, and prolong their beauty several weeks. 
The men are now pruning the rest of the 
roses, which, as you see, have shot out their 
green buds nearly all the length of the branches, 
except the few eyes nearest the main stem. 
By cutting these all back to two or three eyes 
that have not started, they will be put back a 
whole month in the flowering, while those 
pruned early, being already shot nearly half 
