March 10. 
THE COTTAGE GAllDENEll. 
445 
I in dull showery weather, when they will root so 
I speedily as seldom to require shading. On tlie other 
I hand, some plants are propagated most easily from seed ; 
' those are, however, of a sort of annual growth, as 
Marigold, Chervil, Basil, and Marjorum; but some 
others are also easily raised from seeds, which, however, 
ought to be sown on some well-prepared bed, and not too 
early in the season to endanger its vitality from causes 
over which we have no control—as the dampness of the 
season, and other ungenial causes, it is also imperative 
on all who grow herbs for the use of a family, whose 
wants they are but imperfectly acquainted with, to grow 
a good breadth of the last-named three kinds, as they ! 
are more generally used than many others. ' 
Now, in making these remai'ks on Herbs, I have not, 
by any means, mentioned the names of many plants 
required to make out an extended list; but enough has 
been said to assist the amateur in the cultivation of each 
section requiring a ditferent course of action, and some of 
them as, for instance, Penngrogal, requires renewing every 
year; the spreading character of the plant soon forms 
an acquaintance with its next neighbour, and, towards 
autumn, often leaves the centre of the place deserted by 
everything alive, unless it be, as I have said in a former 
jiart of this chapter, that “ weeds ” had usurped the ori¬ 
ginal position of the Pennyroyal. Chamomile may, in j 
many instances, remain two years in the same place, ' 
but longer than that cannot well flourish without more j 
assistance than can be granted them. A fresh planta- ; 
tion may, therefore, he put in as opportunity offers; 
and all vestiges of the former may be removed if the 
])lants put in are at all vigorous and healthy. I 
Of the kinds which do not present us with rooted i 
offsets to any extent, Sage stands pre-eminent. It, and 
others like it, must, therefore, bo propagated by cuttings, i 
put in as soon as ever the young shoot attains a sufli- 
eiency of hardness to enable it to maintain itself on the 
moisture of the ground and atmos])here while its lower [ 
extremities are preparing roots. This is usually about 
Midsummer; and if advantage be taken of any showery 
weather that may occur then, there is little trouble in 
obtaining any requisite number of plants, which may 
either be struck in the bed where it is intended to bo 
grown, or in some other place from whence it can bo 
removed when rooted. This latter plan is the best when 
the weather is too bright and sunny to e.xpect it to do 
well in its ordinary abode. All herbs of a half-shrubby 
character do equally well in such a place, as Lavender, 
WinterSavory, Hue, Southernwood, Wormwood, Hyssop, 
and some others; but, as the collection of sweet and pot j 
herbs embraces many plants of different habits, we have ; 
entered into the above details of the culture of each in ■ 
order to bo fully understood in all; and for the guidance 
of those who wish to cultivate the largest and most | 
varied collection of herbs, wo advise them to examine ^ 
the number and varieties of those who compete at many j 
of our “ local horticultural shows ” for prizes there ' 
olfered for this class of plants, and they will then find i 
species which they believed to bo obsolete, but which ' 
the competition to excel in numerical strength had ^ 
called into existence again. To such a length has this, ; 
in some instances, been carried, that a collection of 
' herbs might not unlikely be mistaken for one of 
’ “ llritibh plants,” so many species of the latter finding 
their way in there—no doubt, but on some authority on 
■ their respective merits; but as the sophistry of “Cul¬ 
pepper” is no longer regarded, wo hope no one will 
overload a collection of herbs with plants recommended 
by him as possessing all the merits of a universal medi¬ 
cine ; aud though we do not, by any means, despise the 
medicinal properties of many of our wild plants, yet we 
think some limits ought to be jiut as to their being 
received into the family of herbs, with no better claim 
than that somebody’s gi’andmother had reported such a 
plant “ a safe and certain cure ” for such and such a 
disorder. J. Hobsox. 
THE COTTAGE GAHDENEll’S I’ONY, 
WITH XHOUGIITS ON A CARRIAGE. 
Some idea of distinguished rank has ever been associated 
witli the circumstance of a man’s being carried about by a 
more elaborate contrivance than the use of that ‘ pair of 
shanks’-galloways’ wlierewith Nature has set every one of 
us up, duty free. Much ditlieulty would be removed i'rom 
my subject by coming to a clear understanding on this 
point; and, accordingly, I propose to say a few words on 
the symbolic meaning which, in all times, lias been attached 
to matters of equipage. 
Tims, “ he had twelve sons who all rode upon white 
asses” means, twelve young men of exalted station and 
acknowledged rank. “ Oh ye who ride on white asses ! ” the : 
same. 5Vhen the Hebrew captive was set upon the king’s 
horse, and paraded in state through the city, a great deal 
more was implied than the mere enjoyment of a ride out. 
These expressions are highly metaphorical, and carry a 
meaning with them, which is borne out by the common 
ligures of speech of all nations. The Homan emperor | 
riding on a horse shod with golden shoes, which he was ^ 
made to scatter about amongst the crowd, presents us at 
once with a tolerable idea of magniltcence. liolingbroke’s 
triumphant entry on horseback, when he first vindicated 
to himself the title of Henry IV, is described by our 
Shakspere in a way which shows his knowledge of this 
trait of poor human nature; and a ridiculous example is 
given of the same thing in the story of that self-important 
Irish baronet. Sir H. 'Trumpington, who was never seen in 
town on foot, but who regularly mounted his horse at his 
own door. No. Td, to get otf again to call at No. d5 a, where 
his mother resided. 
In the account of a successful coup d'clnl which came otf 
some two or three thousand years ago, we read, “ they put 
to death all those who were carried about.” This does not 
mean that the conspirators cruelly cut off Ihe aged (tiid 
imjinn, but, on the contrary, all the grentest men of ihe stale. 
Similarly, the chairing of members ; the Queen’s procession 
to and from iiarliament; the Lord Mayor’s coach ; the 
Judge’s carriage wherein ho is conveyed to court and back 
again at -Assize time, all signify much tlie same thing. 
When Buonaparte, on his return from Elba, galloped in 
his carriage right down upon the front of the arrayed royalist 
army, the jioet observed, “ Eato sat in that carriage.” True 
enough, fate often seems to sit in a carriage. Only think 
of that unparalleled state coach in which Napoleon went to 
be crowned. How many escutcheons have since been em¬ 
blazoned on those same panels! Aud the other day Louis 
Napoleon drove down in it to be married; to be married 1 
an occasion when, if ever in this life the most rigid utilita¬ 
rian smybolically expresses his (or her) elation, by dashing 
to church in grand array. 
Very proper it was of My Lord Judge, the other day, to 
reprimand the north-country Slieriff (member of the Society 
of Eriends), who had not provided tlio usual costly vehicle 
for the Judge’s use. As the representative of royally, My 
Lord undoubtedly required to bo conveyed in right royal 
state. 
I have not quite made up my mind wliether or no tlie 
Judge’s carriage is itself degenerated from a certain vene¬ 
rable old waggon which, amongst our northern progenitors, 
was solemnly drawn up and down the country by a team of 
oxen, upon a kind of chreuit or tourne, exciting more awful 
feelings of respect from all than the most juvenile members 
of society now pay to any of the pageants which are still most 
properly continued, in these days, to impress upon the very 
young timely notions of what is due to rank and station. 
How many young apprentices, fresh from tlie country, arc 
moved to emulate llichard of Whittington, by the first i 
impression produced on their minds by the Lord (Mayor’s j 
Show! I 
'The wandering Scythians, cousins-german to our Anglo- j 
Saxon ancestors, certainly introduced family carriages into 
Europe. Whenever the enemy invaded the country, they 
were accustomed to order round to the front door a very 
