682 
THE RURAL WEW-YO RKuiR. 
OCT.48 
Dear Uncle Mark I ought to have reported 
before now, but have found so little time to write 
this summer, that It was Impossible to do so. One 
of my chief duties was the Charge of the chickens 
and In hot summer weather when they need almost 
constant attention and care, between them, house¬ 
work and the garden, not much spare time was 
left. I am afraid 1 cannot make as good a report 
as some of the cousins, for the weather was so un¬ 
favorable here. My plants could not grow as fast 
or be transplanted as early as they should have 
been, some of my seeds did not come up and those 
that did were so parched they could not grow. 
Neither my Calllcarpa nor Dutchman's ripe seeds 
came up. Do either of them require any special 
treatment? The Aquilegla came up nicely, were 
transplanted In good time, and were growing 
well when papa hoed them up. Where can I get 
more seed? The Pansies are beautiful. I love 
Pansies. Every face Is so loving and at the same 
time so mischievous, that how any one can look at 
them and not notice their dear little human faces. 
I cant Imagine. To me they seem to have just been 
to a fuueral and while they still wear their mourn¬ 
ing garments, they are laughing. Our Pansy bod 
Is situated In the lower part of our garden, tbe soil 
Is a rich black loam, and they seem to thrive well in 
it; one or the Pansies now before me measures two 
Inches across both ways. Tbe Petunias and Pinks 
came up well and are very fine, I have two strong 
plants of Hibiscus alive. Does the seed of the Vari¬ 
egated Vine need special treatment, also the seeds 
Of Leavenworth’s EryDgo? Neither came up. I 
did not try the Mlmulus as I could not give it the 
right treatment. The Phloxes are very beautiful. 
The Dolly Dutton corn and the radishes were very 
nice. We think the Christina m elon the best musk- i 
melon we ever ale. The strawberry bed has done 
and ask you to accept me as a member of the Hor¬ 
ticultural Club, I am very much Interested In the 
culture of small fruit. I am about Betting out a 
small strawberry bed of three or four hundred 
plants, which I hope will prove a success. I set 
out a bed last fall but they winter killed badly. 
With kind wishes to all the Rural Cousins. I will 
close. Tour friend, 
Chittenden Co., Vt. W. H. Rand. 
AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA 
If we had fish nature enough to take up our 
abode In the ocean and for some time explore the 
hidden recesses of the deep, we should no doubt 
meet with Borne very singular creatures. The 
forms of life, both of plants and animals, would be 
more strange by far than any to be found on the 
land, and we should likely discover wonders that 
are now unknown, and perhaps forever will be. 
Deep water can only be explored by sinking a 
heavy instrument that will grasp and carry up a 
portion of the mud from the bottom, which Is then 
examined aud conjectures made of life In the deep 
from what small animals and shells It may con¬ 
tain. But much as there Is yec to be learned about 
life In the water, a great deal is already known. 
Many curious animals have been studied and 
classified according to the rank they hold In the 
animal kingdom. 
The engraving Is designed to show a quiet nook 
between the rocks at the bdltoin of the sea and the 
I nhabltants that peop lo it.. The animals here seen 
belong to the class known as Echlnodermata, which 
includes sea-urchins, star-fishes, some animals 
which are attached to a stem and fixed to a rock 
like a plant, called Crlnoids, or feather-stars and 
many others. The broad five pointed body towards 
the top of the picture Is one-of the common star¬ 
fishes very orten fouud on the sea shore, and vary 
In size from one Inch to a foot across. It differs 
from the two snake-tatla, or brittle-stars with their 
five long arms, seen Just below, mainly In that the 
stomach of the star-fish Is prolonged Into the arms 
while the long arms of the brittle-star are merely 
limbs for locomotion and does not form a so neces¬ 
sary part of the body. 
In star-fishes the mouth Is situated In the center 
of tho body on the under side of the surface. They 
live on all kinds of small animals that they catch, 
but not being rapid swimmers themselves they 
seldom succeed iu making prey of anyth lug but 
snails and other shellfish, that are still slower In 
their motions. When their prey is so placed that 
they cannot get the mouth around It, they have 
Che power or extending the stomach out of the 
body and throwing it around the victim. The 
bulky, cucumber-Uke body near the bottom, Is one 
of the animals commonly known as crepaugs, or 
sea-cucumbers. As a rule, the skin of these Is 
leathery and often covered with scattered spines. 
They move along by twisting and contracting 
their bodies like worms. The tuft of feathery orna¬ 
ments at one end of the body are tentacles which 
surround the mouth and help to eatoli the food. 
These animals are rare andean only be obtained 
by dredging in deep water. Some of tbe tropical 
forms attain a large size and some are largely 
sougUL after to be sold to the Chinese who regard 
them as a delicacy. Uncle Mark, 
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE A GAIN.” 
BY HENRY WARD BEECHER, 
In Christian life than that. For entering upon a 
Christian life, so far from being a process of giving 
up everything, is ft process of gaining everything. 
is a person called to give up bodily health ? It 
would be a great stn to do It. In some churcnea 
and by some teachers fasting and maceration, 
and mortification of the body, are thought to be 
great duties. Christ did not think anything of tho 
kind. He laid no such injunction upon any. On the 
other hand, to seek vigorous health, a good con¬ 
dition of the body, is our duty to ourselves, to our 
God and to *our fellow-men. 
Are we called to give up any of our friends-- 
father or mother, brother or sister, husband or 
wife? If the time should come when by reason 
or persecution or revolution there should be the 
choice rorced upon us either of abandoning father 
or mother, brother or sister, husband or wife, or 
of taking Christ, under such circumstances we 
must take the greater, but this choice Is not forced 
upon a person once lu a generation, or In a hun¬ 
dred years; and when one becomes a Christian, 
so far from giving up friends, he takes them In 
a dearer manner than he has ever done before. 
Love ought to be deepened and made more deli¬ 
cate aud more heroic by piety. When one enters 
a Christian life, so rar from losing home, or the 
flavor of home, he comes to have an Increased 
attachment aud relish for home. There is a 
power in true piety which Is able to make borne 
shine ns It never did before. 
Well, must the scholar give up his study, and 
the mechanic his labor, and the husbandman his 
toll, on entering a Christian life? Why, no. “ Dili¬ 
gent in business” is the command of God; and In 
every rightful calling we are serving not ourselves 
alone but the whole community; and we must not 
give up that service. When a person becomes & 
Christian he Is not called upon to abandon hla 
occupation or Industry—very rar from It, 
Well, arc we to give up good spirits and laugh¬ 
ing cheerfulness when we become Christians ? No. 
On the contrary, we are commanded to rejoice; 
and the scope of the command is so great, that If 
the earth were to forget to bring forth, and every 
thing were to fall, the prophet would yet rejoice 
in the Lord; and the New Testament echoes It. 
Not only arc you to rejoice It you havo animal 
spirits that are buoyant and Cheerful, but you aro 
to rejoice when the circumstances around about 
you are not fa vorable to Joy. V ou are to rlao, even 
In the darkest places. Into such an atmosphere 
that you can rejoice in God, ll‘ you do not rejoice 
In the things that surround you. 
Well, what do you give up 7 To Joe sure, If you 
are pursuing any disreputable course, If you do 
anything that Is mean. If you are Indulging In any 
vice or crime, that you give up; and you ought to 
be willing to give It up. Nobody ought to call it a 
sacrifice to give up that which la wrong. Every¬ 
thing that Is right you aro to keep. 1 • w hatsoever 
Dear Uncle Mark seeing there are so many 
little girls joining your Horticultural Club we con- 
LETTERS FROM THE COUSINS, 
Dear Uncles and COUSINS : — Uncle Mark, I 
thank you very much for the radish seed and corn. 
The radishes were the best I ever ate, but I cannot 
Judge of the corn, as It was so late when l received 
It, that It did not grow much. My sister saved her 
seeds for next year, In ease mine should not ripen ; 
It was well she did, for none of mine did ripen, l 
have charge of all the seeds from the Rural, and 
l had just helped to plaut them when I wrote last. 
The watermelon seeds were overlooked aud for¬ 
gotten until It was too late. Deutzla erenatf. aud 
Calllcarpa Americana did not germinate. Three 
of the yucca fllamentosa came up, but are so 
small I fear they will not live through the winter. 
The tomatoes, lilclnus and Hollyhocks grew finely. 
1 planted the Vltla with the clematis and Mauran- 
dla In a box and set It where I Lhought It would be 
out of tbe reach of the hens, but, uf course, they 
did get into it, while I was at school, aud dug them 
all out. From the smalt potato sent, about eigh¬ 
teen pounds of large mealy potatoes were raised. 
Father says they are the best he ever raised; he 
tells every one about my splendid new potatoes. 
Anna lias brought In ber plants lor the winter; 
they are looking better than ever before. She tried 
the soli recommended In the Rural, for Geraniums 
and Heliotropes Instead of the soil she generally 
uses, and finds it is much better. 1 have an orange 
tree three yea is old. will it ever blossom In tnis 
climate ? is It necessary to bud it ? Do Balm and 
Rose Geraniums blossom ? 
Why does Ivy think I failed to do Justice to Ha¬ 
waii Nel’s letters ? I think they were very inter¬ 
esting, and I would like to see more us good. If I 
cannot write anything Interesting I like to read 
good letters. I almost won a volume of poems, 
last winter, but almost Isn’t quite, and so I lost It. 
The winner was to select the author, l think I 
should have chosen Longfellow. Wheu I first read 
Jean Ingelow'a “ Story of Doom ” l did not like It, 
but after reading It again, 1 like It very much. 
Our school presented the teacher with a volume 
of Tennyson's poems or rather money to bu> It, as 
there was not sufficient lime for us to procure It 
before the close of the term. 
Kintlne*.* to any is ne'er thrown a way, 
God will remember lib for It quo day, 
lu my last letter my name was printed Wise, if 
there were anything in u name l should wish it 
was mine, as 1 am very far from wise, aud instead 
am a very ordinary and useless Wire. Wires are 
a very necessary and sometime*; ornamental arti¬ 
cle but I am an exception. Now, please don’t try 
to make people think 1 am wise, this time, Mr. 
Compositor ir you please. Lenoka Wire. 
[The Orange will blossom in this climate; of 
course it must b$ grown lu a tub aud kept indoors 
In the winter. It is not necessary to bud u, but it 
wUl probably be the better for It. You can bud It 
with the Sweet-scented Orange. Balm gad Rose 
Geraniums do blossom.—U, M.j 
AT THE^BOTTOJf OF THE SEA, 1 ] 
pretty well, but it needs weeding Just at present. 
But I must close now, my letter Is too long already. 
Yours sincerely, Minnie S. White. 
Erie Co., N. Y. 
[This Is a very creditable report. Though Minnie 
has not met with a brilliant success, I think I can 
say that she takes a deep interest In her garden, 
and where the interest Is success is sure to come. 
Neither of the seeds mentioned need any special 
treatment— U. M.J 
Dear Rural Cousins:— I once more take my 
faithful pen In hand to write you a totter, hoping 
to Interest you a few minutes in a brier description 
of Ivy’s Rest. Tiffs place is situated in a most 
beautiful valley I n the southern part of the Ex¬ 
celsior State, near one of the many tributaries of 
the grand old Hudson. Our scenery Is Indeed de¬ 
lightful. We are surrounded on every side by the 
giant old hills, which serve as a protection from 
the winter storms, while further west we see the 
dark, gray mountains towering Hi tho distance, 
dotted here and there with large and no less beau¬ 
tiful summer resorts. Seen In the dull, gray twi¬ 
light, of evening, these look Uko some huge Castles 
of which we read In the legends of old. Fruits 
aud milk constitute the chief products of tills 
region for tho export of wlffch tbe railroad (one of 
the many links of civilization) proves a great bene¬ 
fit Lo our people. Autumn Is here, and cruel Jack 
Frost has already visited different parts of our 
town, and our forests aro now assuming a golden 
aspect; the Ivy (what relation) as It clings closer 
to Its friend the old Oak tree, alone retains its 
natural color, but It, too, must soon yield to King 
Winter’s chilly embrace, only to start again in the 
coming spring, and so continue on its coarse, on* 
eluded we would send our names. It has been so 
dry that our flowers did not do well this year. We 
have Balsams, Verbenas, Asters, Zinnias, star 
Flowers, rortuloea, cannas, and several other 
kinds, in the spring we have a great many flow- 
era. We dearly love flowers and think It a great 
pleasure to attend to their wants. We also have a 
little garden for vegetables, but they did not. do 
well, perhaps because they were planted rather 
late in the season, besides, the summer was so 
dry and we all went to school, so we could find no 
time to water them, but we hope to have better 
success another year. Yours respectfully, 
Spencer uo., Ky. Barbara & Lizzie Pound. 
Dear Uncle Mark:—I wish to Join your Horti¬ 
cultural Club," If you will be so kind as to take me 
in. Manuna aud 1 have> great many flowers; we 
have three hundred and twenty-five pot plants and 
a great many In the yard and garden. We have 
tweuty-four varieties of coleus, sixteen varieties of 
Begonia, twenty varieties of Geranium and six 
varieties of Cactus. We have six banging baskets 
and a great many other varieties of pot plants. 1 
wui write no more at present but will write again, 
If 1 see this published. 1 am eleven years old. 
Warren Co., o. Eva M. Dawson. 
Dear Uncle Mark 1 have long had a greatde- 
Blre to Join the Horticultural Club, aud now wish 
you to place my name on tUe list. I did not have 
many flowers this year, but will try and have more 
uextyear. I will write no more now, but will try 
and write again, if I see this in print. 1 am twelve 
years old. Rettie Clare. 
Cayuga Co., N. Y. 
Dear Uncle Mark:—I thought I would write 
As one who carries gunpowder would not wish 
to be where spark3 are flying, lest he should be 
destroyed; so should we carefully avoid such 
places aud company as may lead us Into sin. 
