AUTUMN. 
Many of our readers are now in the enjoyment of the 
garden when it is the richest in color and the most 
beautiful, because it teaches the most beautiful lesssons. 
Of all gifts, noue equals a beautiful old age, a long life 
without regrets, is like the garden wherein every plant 
has performed its part well, and where there has been 
no blight, no rest, no aphis, and no untimely frost to 
blacken and destroy. The joy of the garden is now 
greatly enhanced, because it must soon begin to fade, 
therefore we cling to what remains with a peculiar 
fondness and attachment. At every stage of life there 
comes beauty and pleasure, if we will it. or sorrow and 
sadness, as we may choose. What is iu our garden is 
typical of what is in us. If we have taste, refinement, 
a love for the beautiful and good, a detestation of the 
evil and false, our gardens will show it. Where husband 
and wife work in harmony in the flower garden, there 
will be congeniality in all their walks. There is un¬ 
doubtedly true happiness in many a household where 
one-half. only, sees beauty in flowers: but when love is 
a unit, life's pleasures are doubly sweet. 
But little time remains to enjoy what we have left: a 
long winter is before us; let us, therefore, keep our 
autumn beauty, as long as we can experience it. as per, 
feet as possible. With care, the garden that was wisely 
ordered, such as all the readers of the Cabinet are sup¬ 
posed to have, may continue a garden of flowers all 
through this and, perhaps, a greater part of next month. 
Many of our plants have already out-lived their useful¬ 
ness; they have had their spring, summer and autumn, 
and are now enjoying their winter of rest. Remove as 
quickly as possible all dying forms; the living and the 
dead are as sad companions in the family of plants as in 
the family of man. By constantly picking off dead 
flowers as fast as they fade, and leaves as soon as they 
become sere, it is wonderful how much freshness and 
summer likeness remains. The garden at this season 
needs encouragement, the flowers need help, instead of 
which they, not unfrequently, seem to be helped away. 
As the sun loses its brightness, and the air its genial 
warmth, the plants should not be left to struggle on be¬ 
neath a load of seedy flowers aifd withering leaves, to die a 
lingering death by inches—a wretched end to a glorious 
snmmer-tide of beauty. As long as a flower remains, or 
the bright leaves linger, let the garden look as though it 
was cared for, valued, loved. And then, when winter 
comes, all beauty will fade at once. The garden need 
not put on * ‘ weeds ” because the flowers are dead; rather 
let every path, bed and fixture be as neat and cheerful 
as possible, awaiting with joy the plants’ resurrection in 
spring, that they, when awakeniug anew into life, may 
find the same cheerful, loving friends that followed 
them to their tomb. 
The sharp, peremptory summons of the frost cannot 
be ignored. It forces itself upon our attention. But 
we need not run to meet it. and anticipate, by weeks or 
mouths, the day or night of its appearing; neither should 
we grieve. Death is a beautiful necessity, without it 
there can be no new life. Winter is the door that opons 
iuto spring, when all is life anew; because of its coming, 
do not allow beauty to come and go, or droop unseen or 
uncared for. We should not turn our backs upon the 
last flower because it cannot last long, nor rob ourselve 
of its last fond look. Values are relative; most things 
are valuable in proportion to their rarity, therefore 
the last flower, because it is the last, is as dear to us as 
all that were in the garden before it. Let us treasure 
the last Rose of summer, the Chrysanthemum that has 
defied frost and storm with its cheerfulness, the 
Pansy that will smile when the sim shines, although 
its bed may be frozen, as highly as the first flowers of 
spring. 
Do not anticipate winter; rather anticipate spring, 
and thus shorten the distance between the two. For 
early spring flowers, the seeds of many- varieties should 
be sown now. Among the number are Candytuft, Mig¬ 
nonette, Phlox Drummondi, the Nemophilas and Pop¬ 
pies. Dahlias and Gladiolus should now be taken up, 
slightly dried, and stored away beyond the reach of 
frost. Dahlias keep best when wintered with the earth 
upon them, provided they are not put away damp. It 
prevents the bulbs from shriveling, and preserves them 
plump and firm. Keep Gla'diolus cool and dry, away 
from frost; it matters but little what the other condi¬ 
tions are. Where there are only a few dozen, they may 
be tied up in a-bunch as dug, and hung up in the cellar 
or other convenient room. While taking up some bulbs, 
we must hasten our preparations for planting others. 
As soon as the dead or decaying plants and leaves are 
cleared off the flower beds or borders they should be 
heavily manured, and dug deeply for the reception of 
Hyacinths, Tulips, etc.—for the cultivation of which 
see special article in current number. For beds con¬ 
taining bulbs planted last year, all that needs to be done 
is to mulch them heavily with litter from the cow stable, 
which may be spaded in after the bulbs have grown 
sufficiently to show their locality, that they may not be 
injured in the operation. 
• POLYANTHA ROSES. 
Last spring Messrs. Hallock, Son & Thorpe, of Queens, 
N. Y., sent ns a few plants of the Polyantba Roses, in¬ 
cluding several of the latest varieties. Notwithstand¬ 
ing the severe drought, they are now in full bloom and 
are objects of very great interest. We do not pretend 
they are equal in all those qualities which have made 
the Rose famous, but we do say that the true lover of 
flowers sees as much beauty iu the smallest forms as in 
