160 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 
We may now close our monthly remarks, having 
nearly exhausted our subject for the present as 
regards allotment gardening in July. In a few more 
weeks we shall have some fresh advice to offer. 
The storing of roots, and general preparation for 
the approaching winter, as well as for an anticipated 
new year’s course of cropping, will begin to attract 
our attention, In conclusion, let us advise the cotta¬ 
ger to bestow all the surplus labour he can on his root 
crops; let him resolutely keep down weeds, and 
apply hoe-culture, with occasional applications ol 
liquid manure, resting assured that by following 
such advice he will do much to provide for a comfort¬ 
able winter, and will, in the meantime, be training 
his children to industrious habits, and a keener per¬ 
ception of the bounties of our gracious Creator. 
MY FLOWERS. 
(No. 32.) 
Gay and fragrant as our spring gardens are, they 
are imperfect without the rose; and now that lovely 
flower, in all its rich variety of scent and colour, is 
blooming freely. In almost every portion of the 
globe the rose is known, and esteemed the first of 
flowers. South America and Australia alone do not 
possess it. Brilliant and striking as the native 
flowers of S. America are to the traveller's eye—glit¬ 
tering and graceful as are the -wild plants and 
creepers that hang in masses from the boughs in 
uncultivated yet exuberant richness—it seems to me 
that every eye must seek for the rose, and regret its 
absence. In the north of Europe the native rose is 
single, but in some of the southern lands it is fre¬ 
quently double. The sweetest and loveliest variety 
of this beautiful family, the moss rose, loses its 
mossy veil when removed to the South of Europe. 
It seems as if its delicate nature, being a native of 
Provence, in the south of France, needed a warm 
covering to suit our chilly climate: for when it 
returns to the genial atmosphere of its own home it 
throws off its beautiful dress. What a striking, what 
an affecting, instance is this, of the provision made 
by God for one of His wondrous creations! when 
we see even “ a fading flower” regarded and protected 
by its Maker’s hand, and its blossoms, short-lived as 
they are, strengthened to hear the ruder breezes of 
a cold, ungenial clime. What a deep, blessed lesson 
tee may learn from its eloquent lips. Need ice fear 
to trust that gracious hand, through the changes and 
chances of this mortal life, when we know and see 
that His mercy is over all His works? Let our 
sweet moss roses he henceforth sweeter still, as show¬ 
ing forth so plainly the care of our heavenly Father, 
and cheering our hearts with the sweet assurance 
that He careth also for us. The rose seems to unite 
i;s to many distant lands : it is really a citizen of the 
world, and speaks to us of very interesting times and 
places. It blooms on the hills over which the road 
passes from Joppa to Jerusalem; and Burckhardt 
speaks of roses blooming abundantly among the 
ruins of Bozra, thus reminding us again of many 
things dear to the Christian’s heart. We are carried 
away in spirit to Him who “is glorious in His ap¬ 
parel, travelling in the greatness of His strength 
to His weak yet affectionate disciple, whose example 
should shame us into equal repentance, after equal 
and often repeated guilt; and to the city where 
David dwelt, whose position among the lulls is so 
beautifully used to depict God’s care in standing 
“ round about His people, from henceforth even for 
ever.” In the little village of St. John, also, the 
roses grow in thick plantations; and thus blooming 
in the desert where John preached to the multitudes, 
it may repeat to our unthinking hearts, “ Repent, for 
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The beautiful 
crimson and white rose, which we call “ York and 
Lancaster,” has much historical interest in our eyes. 
It is said that it first appeared when the rival colours 
of those two families were blended together by the 
union of Henry VII. with Elizabeth of York, after a 
long and wretched period of desolating war; and it 
lias, therefore, been ever looked upon as an emblem 
of peace, dear to every British heart. We know 
nothing of the horrors of civil war, and long may 
this bright rose be its only symbol! It is pleasant 
and profitable thus to be reminded, by the flowers 
we love to cultivate, of some of the causes for grati¬ 
tude and praise which we so abundantly enjoy; and 
the rose, in its glowing loveliness and exquisite frag¬ 
rance, possesses a deeper interest still, being chosen 
to describe the perfections of the Church of Christ. 
Let us think of this as we inhale its odour. What¬ 
ever raises our hearts and thoughts to spiritual 
things conveys a blessing; and the charm of a flower 
may he enhanced sevenfold, if it urges us to increased 
devotion, or shows more clearly the power and love 
of God. The wild rose, too, that lovely ornament of 
the summer lane, is beautiful in its form and colour. 
A spray drooping from the bush, covered with its 
small delicate blossoms, charms us as we pass; and 
though they are so short-lived, the perpetual succes¬ 
sion during the flowering season makes them a 
valuable addition to the rural treasury. They are 
blessings, too, in store for the birds, ready for the 
days when fruits have passed away; and, with the 
berries of the thorn, they afford a long and abundant 
supply. We often say, “ we shall have a long, severe 
winter, because there are so many hips and haws,” 
and we speak it unconcernedly; yet does not this 
very assertion declare the goodness of God, in pre¬ 
paring food for the creatures He has made? How 
carelessly we pass by mercies that greet us at every 
step! 
There is little to he done now in our simple gar¬ 
dens except to remove weeds and keep everything 
neat and clean. The summer shoots are so rich and 
luxuriant that we sometimes seem overpowered by 
them! With regard to laurels, instead of clipping 
them, it is best, with a sharp knife, to cut hack the 
redundant and encroaching boughs, which may be 
done at any season, and they never look rmsightly 
or thin when pruned in this way. A hedge of laurel 
when clipped looks frightful at first, but if done with 
a knife it is by no means disfigured. A lady can 
always keep her shrubs in order in this way, and her 
taste will be far more ornamental than when leav¬ 
ing it to the shears of a labourer. Let me recom¬ 
mend “ my sisters ” to spend much of their summer 
days in their garden. It is delightful to leave the 
rooms in which we have sat so many dreary months, 
and reside, as it were, under the trees among our 
shrubs and flowers, listening to every sweet country 
sound, from the soft buzz of the insect to the less 
musical, hut deeply interesting, labours of the field— 
each and all full “of speech and language”—and 
enjoying the genial warmth of a summer sun, so full 
of health and cheerfulness. Many ladies are fearful 
of sitting out of doors; they dread damps, and dews, 
and draughts. Let them use proper caution, but let 
them live as much as possible in the open air; it is 
in itself a medicine, and 1 can speak from long ex¬ 
perience that it strengthens, and hardens, and cures. 
It raises the spirits, diverts the mind often from 
things that are not in themselves delightful, and fills 
