APKIL. 
79 
and, as the following quaint epitaph from an Irish churchyard indicates, it 
is destined to get the upper hand at last:— 
“ Here I’m arrived, and my burden it aises, 
With the point of my nose, and the tips of my toes, 
Turned up to the roots of the Daisies.” 
This pretty composite flower, with its coronet of rosy florets, seems as if its 
involucrated head had been brow-bound with a reversible garland, for when 
the wild Daisy is expecting rain or heavy dews, we find it forming an elegant 
bud, beautifully tipped with pink ; but when the sun shines, and the sky is 
serene, it shows the white star spreading from its golden centre, and in this 
state, wherever the highly-kept lawn is respected, the gaudy little weed is sure 
to be detested. In botanical works the Daisy is said to flower from March 
until August. I saw some in flower in January this year, and the previous 
weather had certainly not been by any means forcing—in fact, the Daisy was 
only a few days behind the Snowdrop in showing blossoms, and we may safely 
reckon upon its blooming in favoured localities until the end of October. 
The large double garden variety not being a perfect flower, but a very 
beautiful transformation, is more shy of blooming, and seldom shows fine 
flower-buds excepting in spring. The double quilled kinds seem to have 
carried the transformation still further, and piped each floret, so that the 
style and character of the original type become altogether changed. Under 
ordinary circumstances these double flowers are barren, and consequently 
have to be propagated by division of the roots. There is a proliferous kind 
called the Hen-and-Chicken Daisy, which forms lateral flower-heads around 
the parent head—a mere oddity, and by no means ornamental like the garden 
varieties above noted. The Daisies have one very important point in a 
business point of view T —they sell very well, having a good deal of decided 
character about them, and making pretty little presents for children ; but the 
Daisy, as an ornamental flower, is not to be confounded with the lawn weed, 
nor with the Hen-and-Chicken varieties. There is a kind— aucubcefolia — 
having beautifully variegated leaves, and where the variegated leaf is required 
the plant is seldom allowed to flower, as the blossoms take away from the 
effect of the foliage. 
In planting Daisies do not be alarmed about dividing them, only take 
care that some little rootlets be attached to each crown. If planted for 
edgings, about six plants should go to the foot; be careful to dip the roots 
of each plant into some rich mud, of about the consistency of thick paint, 
before planting; and if planted in finely pulverised soil and watered they 
will not fail to grow, for the Daisy is a sure cropper. I have mentioned 
this way of planting Daisies for edgings for the sake of the veriest begin¬ 
ners in floriculture, who, like myself, may have to start with-the fourth 
part of a perch of garden ground. Let no one cheat the child out of such 
a harmless hobby as this, for I speak from experience when I say that I 
found great happiness in that small spot of black earth. It is, however, 
to the oft-recurring little patch of Daisies all along the sheltered border 
that I would particularly direct attention, for they are among the cheapest 
flowers we have, and never fail to bloom freely under very ordinary culture. 
In order to have them looking neat, let me advise that all the flower-heads 
should be constantly plucked off as they begin to tarnish in any way, either 
with soil from dashing rains, or from decay. It is surprising what newness 
of life will be imparted to pet plants by this slight attention. There is 
nothing either first or last in floriculture. The Cedar on the lawn, and the 
Daisy on the common, are limited according to the measure meted out to each. 
It is quite disheartening to a young cultivator to begin growing good 
