August 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
233 
out crops Laving the yellow leaves carefully picked 
oft', and the earth kept well stirred about them. Sow 
another small sowing or two of tlio best kinds of 
cabbages; for should we have a long dry autumn, 
after so fine a summer, the early sowings may be¬ 
come too luxuriant to stand through the winter for 
the spring supply. The soil having become warm 
to a considerable depth, in consequence of the late 
sunny weather, will remain so for some time yet to 
come, encouraging, perhaps, the growth of the early 
sowings too freely, and rendering extra sowings of 
cabbage and cauliflowers at tliis time necessary. 
Where ground can lie spared, lettuce and endive may 
be planted to fill the vacancy; for remember that no 
spare ground must be suffered to remain at this sea¬ 
son, but let an abundant change, as well as a good 
supply, of vegetables for winter use be now provided. 
Continue to put out all lcales, savoys , Brussels sprouts, 
and vegetables of a similar kind; they may be 
planted much closer now than they could a month 
ago. James Barnes. 
MISCELLANEOUS INEOEMATION. 
MY FLOWERS. 
(No. 37.) 
July and early August is the time for clipping and 
slipping. In showery weather much may be done in 
this way, and the neatness of the garden greatly in¬ 
creased, as the wild and luxuriant shoots of midsum¬ 
mer, beautiful as they are, disfigure the arrangement 
of our borders by overspreading them, and filling up 
openings left to produce some little floral effect. 
Hedges must be trimmed carefully, and not cut in 
notches; it requires some skill to do this well, and a 
lady cannot easily undertake it. If her garden is 
bounded by a fence of this kind, for which I have a re¬ 
markable fondness, she will be obliged to employ some 
labourer to assist her: it is one of the operations, even 
in a simple garden, that the hand of man must per¬ 
form. A hedge is one of the most beautiful objects 
possible ; it is a combination of objects that delight 
the eye and mind; and wherever I am, however fine 
the view, however beautiful the things are around me, 
I invariably and involuntarily cast my eyes on the 
nearest hedge. Perhaps a garden hedge has less 
claim to admiration, because the neatness and trim¬ 
ness of its form take from its grace and beauty; but 
even it might be so managed as to retain much of the 
richness and ease of the lovely wild ones, and thus 
add to the pleasing effect of the garden. Let me re¬ 
quest “ my sisters” to pay some little attention to the 
hedges as they pass through the fields and lanes. 
Perhaps they smile at my taste, but I am sure they 
will soon begin to understand it; for we often pass 
unheeding by a thousand beauties which surprise and 
delight us when our attention is once drawn to them. 
There is such infinite variety in hedges, such a rapid 
succession of different foliage, flowers, creepers, herbs, 
and plants, such beauty in the careless entanglements 
and dark masses of the bank that usually supports 
them, that I am never weary of looking and admir¬ 
ing, and wondering at the exquisite perfection of the 
least esteemed works of God. A hedge and ditch 
speak as eloquently of the Creator as the lofty moun¬ 
tain and the waving forest. They abound with those 
valuable herbs and plants so useful in their medicinal 
proj>erties, yet so little known except among the poor. 
Scarcely can we gather a leaf in which a healing vir¬ 
tue does not lie; thus telling us, in its turn, what 
merciful provision has been, made for the evils en¬ 
tailed upon us by sin, and faintly reminding us of 
the “tree of life,” whose leaves “were for the heal¬ 
ing of the nations.” Even the common nettle—the 
least pleasing of all the wild plants—has its peculiar 
virtues. The young tops when boiled are excellent; 
and how many scanty meals may be improved by a 
dish of this wholesome vegetable. I often hear the 
poor complain of the want of “ green food,” while the 
fields, and lanes, and banks, abound with the young 
tender nettle top ! Tire young leaves of the dande¬ 
lion are quite equal in flavour to spinach, with only 
a slightly bitter taste, and also offer an excellent 
repast for those who will take the trouble to gather 
them. Nettle-juice is an unfailing remedy for bleed¬ 
ing at the nose; when other remedies fail, put it on 
lint and place it in the nostril—it will soon effect a 
cure. Nettle-tea is also an effectual cure for that 
troublesome complaint the nettle-rash. The very 
young tips of the plant should be selected, and 
infused in boiling water; then, if a wine-glassful is 
taken every morning before breakfast, relief will soon 
be obtained. This is a simple cure, and wise men may 
smile, but let the cottager fearlessly use it and profit 
by it. 
Perennials may still be increased by cuttings or 
slips. Wallflowers, double lychnis, double rocket, 
and many others, indeed all sorts of perennials, may 
be thus treated; and to ensure their striking, water 
very freely, and cover them for a few days with a 
flower-pot, which is even better than a hand-glass, 
because it shades them also. Never let slips or 
cuttings become dry—abundance of water is essen¬ 
tial to their existence. Evergreens also may be 
increased by layers and cuttings now ; water abun¬ 
dantly and shade if possible. Heartsease yet may 
be slipped, or offsets taken from it; they do extremely 
well if watered and shaded till they root. In fact, 
water and shade are the only points to be attended 
to in these operations: if they are carefully observed, 
little danger need be feared. 
The passion flower is one of the beautiful clim¬ 
bers of this season, and at this time all the super¬ 
fluous and irregular shoots of the year should be cut 
out. It is an elegant plant for twining round the pil¬ 
lars of an entrance, or those of a verandah; its light, 
feathery leaves, and the large, quiet-looking flowers, 
are very ornamental, although it is less gay than 
many of our summer beauties. It is a wild flower 
in America; it twines itself round the tall trees of 
those vast forests where even the birds fear to" dwell, 
and where almost unbroken silence reigns; and it 
flings itself in sportive gracefulness from the loftiest 
boughs, wreathing them with its rich and abundant 
blossoms. We can scarcely believe that the slight 
sprays we train so tenderly should mount so high in 
their native land, and cling round such vast sup¬ 
porters, braving the sweeping tempests that rush so 
fearfully over those wild regions—yet so it is; and 
it teaches us how boldly and how safely ice may 
meet the storms and trials of life if we will but 
cling closely to Him who is “the strength of our 
salvation.” The frail plant that seeks support from 
every bough is less weak than man, as he totters in 
his own proud helplessness; but when resting on 
the Branch, which storm and tempest cannot shake, 
how firmly, how fearlessly he stands! Let the 
blooming creepers round our cottage porch instruct 
us, and lead us to twine our hopes and affections 
around “ those things that are above,” around “ Him 
whose strength is made perfect in our weakness,” 
that, “ when our heart and flesh fail,” He may be 
“ the strength of our heart and our portion for ever.” 
