40 
THE FLOBIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ March, 
kind of drain in stiff land will last for genera¬ 
tions. If a convenient outlet is very difficult 
of attainment, it may suffice to dig a well, say 
six feet wide and tliree deep, below tbe bottom 
of tlie front drain, and fill it up with clinkers 
and rubble. Before wheeling in the compost, 
if it is possible, let the rubble be covered with 
some fresh-cut sods of turfy, fibry loam. What¬ 
ever the staple of the compost may consist of, 
there should be an admixture of broken bones, 
lumps of charcoal, a sprinkling of salt, and a 
fair addition of broken chalk, the latter being 
the most important.— John Cox, Rcdlecf 
IN MEMORY OF 
MR. SAMUEL COOPER 
[Who Died on December 24, aged 62 years, and was 
Interred at Bowdon, December 27, 1877.] 
Come, mourn with me, if thou, indeed, art one 
Who loves the true nobility of worth ! 
Mourn for a Loving Heart for ever gone—• 
As true a Friend as ever lived on earth. 
One of large Heart and intellect refined, 
Whose taste was visible wher’er he moved ; 
One with a painter’s grace and poet’s mind, 
Who lived surrounded by the gifts he loved. 
Yes, mourn with me !—shall goodness pass away, 
And we forget the virtue Time reveres ? 
Can we behold that form—now breathless clay—- 
Declare its worth, and yet deny our tears ? 
No ! blest are tears when from the heart they spring; 
Nor unobserved by Heaven they fall to Earth. 
The noblest tribute to the grave we bring, 
Is manly sorrow for departed worth! 
Yet, oh ! not dead—though dark the shadow lowers, 
He’s living still where life is perfect bliss. 
The grief, the loss, the bitterness is ours! 
But his the gain—the immortal vantage his ! 
Not dead ! The sun may from the west decay ; 
We know its absence is but for a time; 
The soul who’s setting we lament to-day 
Shall find a heavenly mom to rise sublime ! 
Whilst standing by his grave, midst snow and 
showers, 
We gently lay him in the silent tomb; 
Some loving hearts had not forgot the flowers 
Ho loved to plant and tend, and see them bloom. 
No ! though we mourn his loss as one of mind, 
To teach and benefit his fellow-men, 
We lift our prayers to Heaven and wait resigned, 
Knowing there comes a day to meet again. 
Peace to his grave ! be ever blest his soul! 
Deep in our hearts his memory we will hoard, 
For never did the bell of mourning toll 
For one more loved, more honoured, or deplored. 
Gardener’s Magazine. 
TABLE DECORATION—A HINT. 
HEBE there is a great demand for cut 
flowers, especially for the purpose of 
table decoration, any contrivance that 
will serve to lessen the quantity required at this 
time of the year will be found to be a great 
boon; and those who throughout the winter 
months have large demands made upon them 
for the supply of the table and other decorations, 
besides button-holes and a few choice sprays for 
the ladies every night, will know how to appre¬ 
ciate such help. 
We have found the common Club-moss 
Lycopodium denticulatum [more correctly called 
Selciginella Kraussiana] very useful for the 
table. We use it mostly on the breakfast-table, 
mixed with a few flowers, wdien desirable. We 
had a lot of 3-in. pots made of tin in the ordinary 
way, and painted them green, of a tint as nearly 
as possible like that of the Lycopod, which is 
planted in them, and if well attended to, 
soon makes nice tufts, falling over the sides of 
the tins, and almost covering them, which it is 
intended it should do. While the plants are 
growing they must not be allowed to stand at 
all close together, otherwise they do not become 
so well or so equally furnished, which must be 
avoided, for when on the table the whole plant 
is fully exposed to view. 
When required for use, well-grown fresh 
plants are selected, and sprinkled very lightly 
with water, the drops of which are shaken off, 
so that none are left to fall on the cloth. They 
are then set into small glass saucers, which, if 
the plants have done well, should be also covered 
by them. Thus employed, it is astonishing what 
a fresh and cheerful effect they have, and how 
by their aid a few cut flowers can be made to go 
a long way. 
We intend to obtain some common 6-in. 
saucers, and plant the Lycopod in them, and 
use them in a similar way for large tables, 
especially for the breakfast-table, where they are 
most appreciated. With a dozen of these and 
the same number of small glasses, each pro¬ 
vided with only one flower (which, however, 
must be good), and a piece of Maiden-hair 
fern, a very nice and pleasing display can 
be had—better, we think here, than where 
so many grand flowers are introduced.—A. II., 
Thoresby. 
