200 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 
January 2 
with a little assistance at first in the cooking, furnish 
them with the means. Or they give a juvenile party to 
their friends, and John provides such Cauliflowers as his 
father says ho can seldom see; and James brings such 
beauties of Peas and Beans; and William has such 
splendid Potatoes; and ltobert brings wondrous Carrots 
and Turnips; and Peter ushers in a tray of such 
beautiful fruit; and the much loved sisters make such 
garlands and posies from their own parterres; and 
all goes off with additional distinction, because they had 
banquetted their friends with the proceeds of their 
own industry. Depend upon it, these are not the 
youngsters that will want to be crutched in life; they 
will make elbow-room for themselves, and give it as 
freely to others; and lastly, for the present, there is an 
honourable emulation, and respect for the riijhts of others, 
cherished and promoted. I have long thought that there 
was no little of evil, as well as of good, in tlio mere 
rivalry and emulation produced at school. The clever 
boy is apt to look down upon the dullish one; while the 
dull boy is apt to feel envy towards him who gets all the 
praise and the honour. This is owing greatly to the 
fact, that education is given in a certain beaten track, 
and no allowance is made for the peculiar mental 
powers of the different students. Hence, many of the 
dunces at school have been the men in life. 
Now, in the great variety of tastes which may be ex¬ 
hibited in gardens, however small, there may be the 
keenest rivalry, and yet the absence of all envious feeling. 
Then, again, until controlled by a stronger principle, it 
seems to come to us too naturally—the oppression of the 
weak by the strong; the taking the goods of the simple 
by the cunning and the crafty. How soon does this 
manifest itself, even with children and their playthings. 
When children's gardens are first established, this 
feeling is apt to manifest itself, and must be kindly yet 
firmly repressed. Ere long, the moving of the smallest 
particle from a neighbour’s plot would not be thought of 
for a moment, because there was, in dread perspective, 
the double punishment—the being treated as an out¬ 
cast if discovered, and the upbraidings of a wounded 
self-respect, still more agonising and worse to endure. 
AVhat better field for teaching the great lessons of 
mine and thine, on which the basis and framework 
of society are founded! There is much truth in 
the old adage, “ The boy is father to the man.” The 
boy who can admire the beauties in a sister’s, brother’s, 
or neighbour’s little garden, and may thus be roused 
to industry without a feeling of envy or jealousy, aud 
far less the thought to appropriate what is not his 
own, will, though his pathway in life be humble, most 
likely prove a true-hearted, generous man, who, in all his 
efforts to better his condition, never stooped to look 
with an evil eye, or a spirit of covetousness, on the more 
prosperous condition, or the more abundant resources, of 
his neighbour. If, on the other hand, rank aud position 
should be his fortune, should ho even be called upon to 
take a prominent place in the legislature of his country, 
and should the lessons thus early instilled in childhood 
not be obliterated by the conventional polish of Society; 
however you may differ as to his statesmanship ; how¬ 
ever distrust his far-seeing sagacity; you never doubt 
but be acts out his convictions; that no doing evil that 
good may come ; that no trimming to meet the ex¬ 
pediency of the hour, will ever be his, nor any thing 
opposed to the character that even opponents will give 
him—an honest, right-hearted man. 
When I visited Wilderness Park, during the past 
j summer, among other things which I forgot to mention, 
; were a cluster of oblong parallelograms, separated by 
j three-feet walks, part of these being filled solely with 
j vegetables, aud the others solely with flowers, and be- 
I longing to, and cultivated wholly by, the elder branches 
, of the family. There were other plots, entirely for 
flowers, belonging to the younger scions of the noble 
house, at another place; as they had not yet acquired 
the necessary strength to work among the vegetables. 
Beside these larger groups, there were conveniences for 
tools, that wanted enlarging, for not even the sem¬ 
blance of a slight should be given in such cases as 
these; aud near at hand, was a-consecrated-to-fond 
memories ground, where deceased pets of rabbits, doves, 
aud other animals had been affectionately interred. 
Were it not intruding upon privacy, the doings with 
these vegetables and flowers would furnish, no doubt, 
many a pleasing and profitable theme. Some time ago, 
my friend, Mr. Fraser, wrote me on the subject, and with 
an extract from his letter, 1 conclude this rather ramb¬ 
ling new year’s communication :— 
“ I think you should say something about children’s 
gardens. Those which you noticed here, are set apart 
for vegetables and flowers separately; each one of the 
elder branches of the family having a bed for each, four¬ 
teen feet by nine l'eet. The vegetable bed is filled with 
Peas, Beans, Potatoes, Cabbage, Lettuce, Cauliflowers, 
&c. The flower-beds have each a standard Hose in the 
centre; and then everything that can be got—Sweet 
Peas, Salvias, Ageratums, Stocks, Fuchsias, Migno¬ 
nette, Candy Tuft, Virginia Stock, &c., &c. Where 
there is a family of children, none of them, after they 
are four or five years of age, should be without a flower 
bed or two. This not only creates a love for gardening 
and flowers, but leads to habits of industry and good 
order. These arc matters which parents and teachers 
ought to do more to encourage. Much may be said in 
favour of such gardens, and nothing at all against them. 
It is really surprising how soon a child will learn, and 
recollect the names of flowers. Even my little girls, 
the oldest of which is little more than four years of 
age, knows the name of every plant in the little plot in 
front of my cottage.” 
I shall not be sorry if this new year bo marked by 
something like family resolutions; papas and mammas 
being thoroughly besieged for ground, spades, rakes, and 
hoes, instruments rather more useful and peace-be¬ 
speaking than popguns, drums, bows and arrows. To 
encourage my young friends to make a vigorous, though 
respectful attack, 1 will mention two facts. First, that 
children thus indulged, and right directed, may, as a 
general principle, have free access to a gentleman’s 
demesne without any dread of consequences. The 
second is, that at a much younger age than that 
mentioned by Mr. Fraser, flowers have a charm for the 
infantile mind. I have often noticed children, before 
they had got into their teens, talking to, and gently 
touching, but never hurting, or pulling favourite flowers. 
Ah there was a sympathy that entwined and united such 
flowers. Would that we could understand the flower 
language, thus breathing of innocence and peace, the 
outfoldings of the tender human blossom, when holding 
sweet communings with the beautiful. It. Fish. 
THE MANGOSTEEN, VICTORIA LILY, AND 
OTHER NOTES MADE AT SION HOUSE. 
I find my notes are becoming so numerous, that it is 
high time I reduce them into shape, aud place them 
before the readers of The Cottage Gardener. I very 
often visit gardens, and whenever I see any new plant 
in flower, any new fruit in bearing, any new mode of'heat- 
iug, or any old things put in new form, I immediately 
jot it down in my note book, and when the number of 
such items has increased sufficiently to fill a sheet, I 
shall take an opportunity (as I am doing now) to write 
them out, and send them to our Editor. 
I was very lately at Sion House, lsleworth, the re- 
