THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Athtl 
8 
Oar gardens are now beginning to look gay with 
the rich hues of the tulip, whose buds are gradually 
unfolding. There is much grace in their forms, in 
spite of their tall leafless stems; and I admire even 
the commonest kinds in the cottage garden. The 
tulip grows wild in the Holy Land, in Syria, and in 
Greece, and is much esteemed and cultivated in 
Holland. A bed of tulips is one of the gayest and 
loveliest objects a garden can possess, and they 
should always stand in masses, for when placed 
singly, they lose much of their effect, and are apt to 
blow about and look disorderly. 
The rich scent of the violets now, with the early 
showers, greets us as we enter our garden. A bunch 
of these delicious flowers does not afford the degree 
of scent we might expect; when near they do not 
please us half so much as at a little distance; placed 
in a saucer of water, or thrown carelessly on the 
table, then the fragrance reaches us delightfully, and 
also from the borders. In mild situations the violet 
will bloom almost through the winter, but its scent 
is then scarcely felt, and, like all spring flowers that 
come too early, it loses half its charm. The double 
violet is the richest and sweetest variety. To be 
fine, they should be parted every year, and never 
suffered to increase into large patches, and the soil 
should be frequently renewed. Some of our violets 
are brought from America, and are cultivated on ac¬ 
count of their beauty, as they possess no scent; but 
I confess they have little charm for me. A scentless 
violet, like a scentless rose, is such a floral disappoint¬ 
ment, tli at I would rather see its place filled with 
some less lovely flower. The leaves of this plant, 
among the poor, are frequently applied to bruises; 
and the flowers, when steeped in vinegar, give it a 
bright colour, and an agreeable scent. They should 
abound in every garden, as they thrive well under 
trees, and will flourish on banks, and in almost all 
situations. Beds of them carpet the ground under 
fir-trees, which are not favourable to flowers, and they 
peep brightly and sweetly from under the dry crisp 
leaves in woods and copses. 
The more common kinds of polyanthus are now 
appearing. The darker and richer the colour, the 
handsomer they are, especially if the petals, (that is, 
the leaves that form the flower,) are smooth edged 
and even. They are really frightful when disfigured 
■with green leafy cups round the flowers, and should 
not be permitted to remain in the border; but when 
not thus encumbered, even the common kinds are 
pretty in groups, and afford a delicate scent. 
The fuchsias are already beginning to shew life in 
their swelling knots. A slip that I placed in a 
flower-pot when the plant was cut down in the au¬ 
tumn, and which I kept through the winter in a 
room, is already pink at every little joint, and 
means, I hope, to be a flourishing plant before the 
blooming season. They are so useful, as long-con¬ 
tinuing flowers, that they should on this account, as 
well as for their beauty, be increased as much as 
mssible ; and beds of them dotted on extensive 
awns, have a very graceful and pleasing effect. 
My sweet-scented verbena, too, has put forth two 
rich little buds just at the surface of the soil, though 
its slight sprays are still in perfect repose. These 
plants are so fragrant, that they should be encou 
raged as much as possible. I have seen them in 
cottage windows, growing richly, to a very handsome 
size. They should be protected during the winter, 
but may be placed safely in the open air after the 
frosts are over. They should not receive water on 
the soil, but it ought to be put into the flower-saucer, 
and drawn in from below. This I was told by a 
cottage gardener, whose plants are very fine, when 
he gave me a young tree. For some time I observed 
his direction, but growing careless, I watered the 
soil, and I soon fouud the leaves turn brown, and 
curl at the tips. On returning to the former plan of 
watering, the plant seemed to recover, for, as the old 
leaves dropped, the young ones shot up healthy and 
green. 
A season of deep spiritual importance is now at 
hand, and while the cottage gardener waits for “ the 
early and the latter rain,” while he looks for the soft 
enriching April showers, and the bright suns of 
May, let him not forget—nay, let him first of all 
remember—Him who bestows them all, and observe 
with a grateful willing heart those times and sea¬ 
sons that commemorate still greater and richer 
mercies, and a far more stupendous work. Let him 
remember that on Good Friday the death of the Re¬ 
deemer purchased the salvation of His people ; and 
let him keep that day holy. It is too often passed 
by labourers as a common day; they seem not to 
remember the awful history given of all it witnessed, 
and spend it in their usual work-day manner. But 
it is the most solemn day the Christian knows ; and 
if the labouring population loved and honoured Him 
who has bought them with His blood, they would 
delight in remembering and hallowing His death 
and resurrection, and all the griefs and sorrows of 
that agonizing time. While we strive to improve 
the worldly comforts of the cottager, and tu-ge him 
to habits of diligence and industry, we shall do him 
no good if he labours only “ for the meat that pe- 
risheth,” and neglects that which endures “ unto 
everlasting life.” 
EXTRACTS EROM CORRESPONDENCE. 
Rose-budding. —Instead of the T incision, I begin 
my operation by taking off the bud; and, after ex¬ 
tracting the woody part, I place it on the branch 
which is to receive it, and cut off both extremities, 
cutting at the same time down to the wood of the 
stock; I then make the vertical incision, open both 
sides equally and expeditiously, insert the bud, and 
finish as you direct. We cottagers are a hard-fisted 
set; and this plan is more easy certainly, and, I 
think, more sure of success—all other circumstances 
being the same, as the bark of the stock and that 
of the bud join perfectly in two places. 
The Garden-reel. —I have saved the time and 
trouble of fixing and unfixing the line, by the 
following contrivance, which answers its purpose, 
and acts with certainty. I had a piece of iron with 
a square hole fastened to the centre of the bottom 
horizontal bar of the reel: the shoulder of the up¬ 
right shaft was filed to fit this square hole. In re¬ 
placing the reel on the spindle, a distance equal to 
the thickness of the piece of iron is left between the 
top horizontal bar and the loop on the top of the 
spindle. When string is to be let out, hold the head 
of the reel down; and when you wish to fix the 
string, by returning the reel to its upright position, 
tire square hole falls on to the square of the shaft, and 
fixes it instantly: the cost of the alteration is about 
fourpence. Now these things are so simple that, 
although they are unknown here, I can hardly per¬ 
suade myself they are new.— A Cottager, Bath. 
Irish Ivy.—I beg to suggest, for the readers of 
your admirable work, my mode of pruning this ever¬ 
green, which I should not do, but that I see nume¬ 
rous instances where that indispensable operation is 
by no means understood ; and, the more so, from a 
