THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
August 
286 
and reminding us of the blessings of a temperate 
climate, where neither frozen plains nor burning sands 
distress us, and where our seasons, changeable as 
they are, give us so many blessings. We need to he 
reminded of these things; we are too apt to feel dis¬ 
satisfied with what we have and are; and “ a voice” 
from our gardens can deeply and profitably instruct 
us. A voice from the fields, too, makes itself heard 
at this season, with loud and affecting eloquence. 
The interesting labours of the harvest not only 
gladden our hearts with the abundance of our ba¬ 
ther’s mercies, but they set forth a solemn parable 
practically before our eyes. As we watch the busy 
hands of the reapers, and the tall, waving corn fall¬ 
ing under the stroke of the sickle, we are forcibly 
reminded that “ so shall it he in the end of this 
world.” “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” 
The broom has indeed spoken truth—there is a rich 
and abundant store ready to he treasured up. Let 
the poor man’s heart rejoice, and praise “ the Lord 
of the harvest” for His bountiful goodness to the 
children of men; let the heart of the rich man re¬ 
joice with thankfulness, but with trembling also, lest 
he should account his “life” to consist “in the abun¬ 
dance of the things which he possesseth.” It is re¬ 
markable that the cultivated grain—the wheat, oats, 
barley, and rye—are never found in any country 
growing wild; no roving nation possesses them— 
their existence marks the tiller of the soil, and 
although they should be found in the midst of soli¬ 
tude and silence, yet man has been a settler there. It 
seems as if an infinitely wise God permitted not 
these precious fruits of the earth to waste their valu¬ 
able produce, but to be kept exclusively as the reward 
of labour. How should our hearts swell with grati¬ 
tude for such a striking provision for His creature, 
man ! How much I wish that the beautiful and 
solemn salutation of Boaz and his reapers was imi¬ 
tated in this our day! A fuller blessing would be 
poured out, if men regarded God in all they said and 
did, and great would be their peace. 
The ricli scarlet berries of the mountain ash are 
now gleaming brightly among its feathery leaves. 
It is so ornamental a tree, that I am surprised at 
not seeing it more frequently, both in the garden 
and the copse. It gives such life and brilliancy to 
the shrubbery and the woods, that it should be en¬ 
couraged in every spot, and would add greatly to the 
beauty of the autumnal scenery. 1 remember the 
striking eifect produced by several of these lovely trees 
mingling with the foliage of a picturesque copse among 
the Welch mountains. It clothed a rising ground, 
forming a sort of amphitheatre, at the foot of which 
rushed one of those mountain streams of which 
“ lowlanders” dream not. I was then a child, but I 
have never forgotten that amphitheatre of trees, 
studded with the deep red bunches of the mountain 
ash ; and to this day the sight of one of these trees 
sparkling in its autumnal glory always carries me 
back to the lovely banks of the Irion. The foliage 
in itself of the mountain ash is graceful, and the 
white fiowers in the spring are delicate and pleasing, 
rendering it a suitable tree for the pleasure ground, 
as well as the grove. Useless trees are not desirable 
in cottage gardens, but a cheerful looking mountain 
ash planted in the hedge, in some nook or corner, 
would not, perhaps, be in the way of any better tree, 
and would add much to the pleasing appearance of 
the road or common, as well as to the cottage. What¬ 
ever tends to beautify an English cottage, whatever 
makes it appear more cheerful, more snug and happy, 
adds to the moral beauty of our peaceful and higliiy 
favoured land. Yet, beautiful as our cottage homes 
must ever be, not merely as pleasing the eye, but as 
evidencing the quiet domestic enjoyments of our popu- 
lation, let us not set our hearts upon them, or upon 
any thing here below. Our purest earthly affections 
may become idolatry—our simplest and most useful 
possessions may swell into idols. Let the cottage 
gardener ever remember that “ a garden of herbs” 
perilled the soul of a king of Israel. 
HARDY CYPRIPEDIA. 
As many persons find some difficulty in cultivating 
the Cypripedia (Lady’s Slipper), and as 1 have been 
tolerably successful in cultivating two species of that 
genus, viz., G. spectabile (Sliewy Lady’s Slipper) and 
G. pubescens (Downy Lady’s Slipper), a short notice 
of the method which 1 adopt may, perhaps, he ac¬ 
ceptable to some of your readers. I grow both of 
these plants in large pots, well drained with potsherds 
covered with moss; the compost in which I plant them 
is composed of equal parts of peat, i.e. good heath- 
mould and loam, so strong that it may almost be con¬ 
sidered as a friable brick-earth; to these I add another 
ingredient, to the use of which I may probably attri¬ 
bute my success, namely rotten, or rather half-rotten, 
sticks taken from beneath a wood-stack. The quan¬ 
tity of these is almost equal, by measure, to that of the 
peat or loam. The pieces of stick are in such a state 
of decomposition that they will easily yield to pressure 
between the finger and thumb. 1 also mix with the 
compost some charcoal. I keep the pots in winter in 
a cold frame; for, though they are very hardy, I think 
an excess of moisture is injurious to them. 
Doth of these plants last spring attained the height 
of at least 18 inches, and flowered most beautifully; 
the slipper of G. spectabile was at least as large as a 
pigeon’s egg—I had almost said a bantam’s egg. The 
plants under this treatment also increase, not, in¬ 
deed, very rapidly, but I think they sometimes double 
themselves in the course of the year. I am afraid, 
however, that none of the Cypripedia can be culti¬ 
vated successfully in a large town, or even within the 
influence of the smoke and other miasmeta of a town, 
since I believe they require a very pure air. I need 
hardly add that the plants should be placed in a cool 
and shady situation in the summer. I grew Cypri- 
pedium calceolus in the full ground, in a mixture of 
peat and strong loam, but I conclude that it would 
succeed if treated in the same way with its congeners, 
G. spectabile and G. pubescens. 
I also cultivate successfully another orchideous 
plant, which is rather handsome, though not to be 
compared with the cypripedia, viz., Serapias palustris. 
This plant is found abundantly in the peat bogs of 
this part of the country, or, I am afraid I must say, 
was once found abundantly, as most of the bogs are 
ploughed up, and many beautiful and rare plants 
have become almost extinct. I grew this plant in 
pure peat in pots, which I set in a pan of water in 
summer, and plunge in the open ground in winter. 
This plant increases rapidly. Though most of the 
orchidese, which form the tuber peculiar to that tribe 
of plants, are difficult to cultivate, I do not think that 
that is the case with these orchidese, which do not 
form a tuber. 
Rev. Edward Simons, Ovington, Norfolk. 
EVERGREENS FOR CHALK SOILS. 
In a late number you make the observation that a 
chalk soil is unfavourable to the growth of evergreens. 
Since a very considerable proportion of the southern 
part of this island consists of chalk, and since none 
