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TO OUR READERS. 
Another six months have elapsed; another volume is completed; and we have again 
gratefully to address you. It is vain to inquire for fresh phrases in which to express 
our gratitude; nor are we sedulous to do so, for we have lived long enough to know 
that there is more of heartiness in “Thank you,” “How d'ye do,” and “Good bye,” 
than in three oriental orations of gratitude, greeting, and farewell. 
Let “Thank you,” then, be our brief but genuine address to all,—to our many 
“ old subscribers,” who aided us from our earliest venture forth to teach the young 
idea how to dig and prune, and to our as-many “new subscribers,” who needlessly 
apologize so often for venturing to ask from us information. Even to our competitors 
we say “Thank you;” for whilst by their appearance they have warned us to be 
vigilant, so by their failure have they taught us what to avoid. 
To our contributors more especially do we say “Thank you;” for, without their aid, 
we should have never earned this praise in a letter now before us—“ The Cottage 
Gardener is the best as well as cheapest of gardening publications. I never receive 
a number that does not instruct and gratify me.” 
Combined with gratitude for the past, is assured hope for the future. We remember, 
when running across the Trade wind, the customary command of our captain was to the 
helmsman—“Keep her up.” Our order is the same, and we know it will be obeyed. 
The helmsman and officers of our craft all agree that there is no difficulty in “keeping 
her up;” they tell us, moreover, that her freight will be quite as valuable next voyage 
as heretofore; that the wind is fair; and that our competitors think that she has the 
remarkable property of “raising the wind” each voyage. We believe all this to be 
true, and we know of no reason, therefore, why we may not add, with humble 
confidence, those words of the old s hi p’s charter—“ God give her a prosperous voyage.” 
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