May  11,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
3S7 
so  that  material  things  withtut  the  light  of  science  to  reveal  and 
unfold  new  wonders,  hex  me  )  urely  utiLtarian — the  tree  is  so  much 
firewood,  simply  this  anl  nothing  more. 
To  quote  Leigh  Hunt  again:  “Suppose  flowers  tl.emselves  were 
new.  Suppose  they  had  just  come  into  the  world,  a  sweet  reward  for 
some  new  goodness,  and  that  we  had  not  yet  seen  them  quite  develope  d; 
that  they  were  in  the  act  of  growing  ;  had  just  issued,  with  thtir  green 
With  the  rejuvenescence  of  Nature  at  the  present  time — the  trees 
and  fields  clotlied  in  masses  of  blossom  and  greenery,  and  every  hedge¬ 
row  and  meadow  starred  with  spring  flowers^ — let  us  commence  our 
study  of  Nature.  We  shall  be  in  good  company,  for  men  of  great 
abilities  have  sprnt  their  lives  in  the  observation  of  small  things.  Let 
us  be  encouraged  with  the  thought  that  the  flowers  will  become  mores 
beautiful  with  the  knowledge  of  their  structure,  the  scent  mora 
Fig.  83, -tomato  WINTEK  BEAUTY. 
stalks,  out  of  the  ground,  and  engaged  the  attention  of  the  curious, 
t  imagine  what  we  should  feel  when  Ave  saw  tl.e  firht  lateral  stem 
bearing  off  from  the  main  one,  or  putting  forth  a  leaf.  How  we 
should  watch  the  leaf  gradually  unfolding  its  little  graceful  hand; 
then  another,  then  another;  then  the  main  stalk  rising  and  producing 
more;  then  one  of  them  giving  indications  of  astonishing  novelty — a 
bud  !  Then  this  mysterious  bud  gradually  unfolding  like  the  leaf, 
amazing  us,  enchanting  up,  almost  alarming  us  with  delight.”  On 
reading  such  a  passage  we  are  inclined  to  say  with  Whang  the  Miller, 
Oh  !  that  I  could  dream  like  him  !  ” 
sweet  when  A\-e  know  the  method  adopted  by  the  plant  for  its 
dissemination. 
No  greater  treasures  can  be  offered  to  human  desire  than  enjoy¬ 
ments  such  as  these,  which  at  once  exercise  the  mind  and  improve- 
the  heart,  renel  the  influence  of  sordid  passions,  and  encourage  the 
suggestions  of  humanity,  virtue,  and  religion.  By  observing  the 
processes  constantly  going  on  around,  us,  the  physical  properties  of 
matter  and  the  mutual  relations  of  organised  beings  are  far  more 
effL-ctually  understood  than  v\hen  learned  from  descriptions  in  books, 
without  the  aid  of  observation  or  inquiry.— F.  S.  H. 
