22 
Her Opinion of Drummers. 
First in the crowded ear is he to offer— 
This traveling man, unhonored and unsung— 
The seat he paid for, to some woman young, 
Or old and wrinkled. He is first to proffer 
Something, a trifle from his samples maybe, 
To please the fancy of the crying baby. 
He lifts the window and he drops the curtain 
For unacustomed hands. He lends his case 
To make a bolster for a child, not certain 
But its mamma will frown him in the face; 
So anxiously some women seek for danger 
In every courteous act of every stranger. 
Well versed is he m all those ways conducive 
To comfort where least comfort can be found, 
His little deeds of thoughtfulness abound: 
He turns the seat unasked, yet unobtrusive; 
Is glad to please you, or have you please him, 
Yet takes it very calmly if you freeze him. 
He smooths the Jove-like frown of the official 
By paying the fare of one who cannot pay. 
True modesty he knows from artificial; 
Will flirt, of course, if you're inclined that way; 
And, :f you are, be sure that he detects you; 
And, if you’re not, be sure that he respects you. 
The sorrows of the moving world distress him; 
He never fails to lend what aid he can. 
A thousand hearts to-day have cause to bless 
him. 
This much abused, misused, commercial man. 
I do not strive to cast a halo round him, 
JBut speak of him precisely as I’ve found him. 
—Ella Wheeler. 
Pansy Culture. 
BY WM. TOOLE. 
Pansy seeds should be sown thinly in 
shallow furrows, not more than one-six¬ 
teenth of an inch deep, made with a sharp¬ 
ened edge of a piece of lath. The seed bed 
should be mellow and rich, leveled smooth 
before the seeds are sown, and after sowing, 
the seeds should be covered evenly and the 
surface pressed with a piece of board. The 
seed bed should be watered and shaded 
until the young plants are well up, after 
which they should gradually be accustom¬ 
ed to full light. Shade for the seed bed 
may be secured by laying over some kind 
of frame, about a foot from the ground, 
laths, boards or pieces of sheeting. Seeds 
may be sown in August and September, to 
be wintered over in cold frame or protected 
with leaves and brush, for early spring 
blooming; or they may be started in hot 
bed or window boxes in March, for plants 
which should flower early in June. For 
the general summer and fall display, the 
seeds should be sown as above directed, out 
of doors as soon as the weather will permit 
gardening operations, but no matter when 
or where sown, if the seeds are permitted 
to dry while germinating, their vitality is 
gone. If covered too deeply, they cannot 
come up, and they cannot be covered too 
lightly if covered at all. A rich loam is 
best suited for Pansies; and if not too stiff, 
a clayey soil is preferable to one which is 
sandy. But whatever its texture, the soil 
should be made rich with well-rotted ma¬ 
nure, thoroughly incorporated with the 
soil, and stirred several times while the 
plants are growing in the seed bed. Trans¬ 
plant after the plants have attained the 
fourth or fifth leaf, and before they become 
drawn with crowding. 
Avoid a hot situation facing the south. 
An eastern or northern slope is preferable. 
My own experience does not favor a shady 
situation for Pansies, although shade is 
preferable to heat. Keep the buds picked 
off after transplanting until they are well 
established, and during hot weather, if a 
good display of flowers in the fall. Trans¬ 
planting promotes a stocky growth, but as 
it also induces early flowering if the first 
