THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION, November 11 , 1850. 
03 
“ Among my early school-fellows was a boy who, being 
about my own age, and living near us, became one of my 
constant companions; and I well remember that a favourite 
idea of his was, on reaching manhood, to emigrate to some 
lonely isle, Robinson Crusoe fashion, and to pass his time 
in taming parrots and reconnoitering savages; but one 
stipulation always accompanied his childish dreams, which 
was, that his eldest sister Mary should form one of the 
distinguished trio. Alas, poor fellow! he did indeed emigrate 
in after years ; but it was to lay his bones in a foreign land, 
the victim of vicious intemperance. 
“ This sister to whom I allude was sent to a leading board¬ 
ing-school, and there, by some means or other, caught the 
eye and fancy of James Anderson. Mary Redfern was a 
lady-like-looking girl, less remarkable for personal beauty 
than for an unpleasing forwardness of manner. How 
Anderson contrived to obtain an introduction to her I never 
heard; but it was done clandestinely, without the knowledge 
or approbation of friends on either side. Indeed, I have 
grave doubts whether the ignorance of the parents did not 
continue until the moment of the unhappy marriage. Be that 
as it may, Mary left her school, and returned to her parents, 
who resided in a small town some twenty miles distant, 
in a few weeks eloped with Anderson, and became his wife. 
Not a thought seemed to have entered the head of the reck¬ 
less couple as to how they were j,o be supported. The 
husband bad no profession or business to follow, and 
certainly this imprudent step was not likely to introduce 
him to either. He, however, took a situation as usher in a 
school, where he might have obtained at least a scanty 
subsistence had he been attentive to his duties; but a man 
who had shown such want of principle and ordinary prudence 
was not likely to be a pattern fitted for youthful imitation 
now; and so it proved, for he became intemperate, and soon 
lost his situation. 
“When a man loses his self-respect it is astonishing how 
soon he sinks. Another opportunity, however, shortly 
offered itself for Anderson to retrieve his character. A 
gentleman in a large way of business, who had known his 
father for many years, and felt kindly for the position of his 
son, determined to give him a trial in his office; and though 
his former conduct had forfeited all claims for indulgence, 
yet this kind-hearted friend placed him in a situation where, 
had his conduct been satisfactory, his success in life would, 
humanly speaking, have been secured.’’ 
I must reserve the remainder of this narrative for a second 
paper; but I would beseech my readers to mark the causes 
of Anderson’s misfortunes. We are too apt to stop and 
ponder and mourn over consequences. Let us always track 
the stream to its source, and we shall find turbid waters 
flow through a muddy soil, unkindly fruit from a cankered 
root, sorrows and troubles from deep-seated sin. Ah, readers! 
look back, be candid with yourselves: have you not already 
proved my words ? 
Again, mark the patience and compassion of the Lord! 
How He digs round and prunes the stubborn, unfruitful 
• tree! How many opportunities He gives His rebellious 
children to “ turn from their wickedness, and do that which 
is lawful and right!” How many times He calls to His 
disobedient people, “ Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die ? ” 
Oh! let us not say our case is hard, that we are cruelly dealt 
with, that we have none to help and deliver us. Readers, 
we deal hardly with ourselves; but we have none else to 
blame. James Anderson may be a more open offender than 
we are; but if we look boldly at ourselves, as our neighbour 
looks at us, we shall find that the mainspring of our mis- 
j fortunes has been the work of our own hand. 
GERANIUM DIADEMATUM. 
Why should we not have the privilege of asking questions 
as well as the pleasure of answering them ? I see a notice 
at page 77, for instance, and I would give a penny to know 
more about it; but how to set aboutit, without this privilege, 
is the question. 
I failed completely to hunt up Geranium diadematum, yet 
“ R. L.,” at that page, says he has grown it for some years, 
and 1 want a leaf or two in a letter to make sure if he has 
the right one, before I send my ambassador to his court to 
palaver about preliminaries for negotiating an exchange. 
Many good, intelligent gardeners think they know this 
kind, although they have never seen it. Nurserymen are 
under the same delusion; therefore it might come to pass 
that “ R. L.’s” plant is Pelargonium diadematum rubescens, 
which is the best of the two, and the mother of Diadematum 
regium. Individually the daughter has the advantages pecu¬ 
liar to the years of—what shall I say?—what you under¬ 
stand, perhaps, already, and, perhaps, would not “parse” 
if I said the words. If “ R. L.” will procure a dozen nice 
plants of Diadematum bicolor, and treat them in all respects 
like the Golden Chain, only to make a richer bed for them 
if possible, he might get such an opposition as would drive 
the Golden Chain out of the country. I do not say, or sanc¬ 
tion that saying, however ; but it has been “ provisionally ” 
entered on the “journal,” from which wo “post” into the 
“ Chronicles of the Experimental Garden." D. Beaton. 
THE LADY DOWN’S SEEDLING GRAPE. 
In reading over the pages of The Cottage Gardener 
for October the lltli, I find a correspondent, bearing the 
initials “ H. M.,” has made a few statements on the Grape 
Vine called Lady Down's Seedling. 
On reading those statements I was induced to walk over 
to a neighbouring place, where it is growing and in cul¬ 
tivation, in order to ascertain from the gardener a few facts 
connected with its character that might assist those who 
do not know it in judging of its worth as a Grape for per¬ 
manent use. 
Here it is planted inside, and trained against the back- 
wall of a lean-to house. It has now upon it a crop of good- 
coloured and well-flavoured fruit. The colour of the fruit 
is a shining black, which is covered with a rich bloom, that 
gives it a noble appearance, and the flavour is between the 
Black Hamburgh and West’s St. Peter’s. 
The size of the berry is not so large, nor do the bunches 
shoulder off so well as the Black Hamburgh; but it is a 
much more prolific bearer, although it is not so strong a 
grower as that kind. The gardener told me that he pre¬ 
ferred it to the West’s St. Peter’s. In fact, he says it is 
equal, if not superior to any late Grape in cultivation. Its 
keeping properties are good. Last season it ripened its 
fruit the first week in September, and on January 22nd of 
the present year, when the last bunch was cut, the berries 
appeared as sound as in September. 
I would observe that the atmosphere here is always sur¬ 
charged with carbonic acid. Not less than nine large 
chimneys daily emit their volumes of smoke, which roll in 
clouds over the ground, scattering blackness and death in 
every part.—B. B., near Halifax. 
PERILLA NANKINENSIS. 
Will you allow me to call the attention of your readers to 
the merits of this annual as a bedding-plant, and as being 
particularly adapted to the now fashionable style of flower- 
gardening called the ribbon system? 
It is, I believe, of comparatively recent introduction, and 
I do not recollect having seen it mentioned by any of your 
departmental writers or correspondents. 
The chief merit of this singular plant consists in the 
colour of its foliage, being of a rich dark purple, or at least 
of the same colour as the darkest varieties of the Purple 
Beech. There is no beauty whatever in the flower, which is 
small and inconspicuous, and does not appear until late in 
the season. 
The plant with me (on light land) grows about eighteen 
inches high, is of compact habit, and forms a small conical 
bush. 
It is of easy cultivation. My method is to sow it in a 
seed-pan,placed in a slight hotbed,about the end of March; 
pot the seedlings singly when large enough to handle, anil 
finally to plant them out about the same time as other 
bedding-out plants, viz., about the last week in May. It 
appears to possess a similar degree of hardiness as the 
