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are secure; snails and slugs are sad enemies. Propagate. Liliums. Be careful that they never suffer for want of water; water with rose over the foliage. Train flower stems. Pansies. At this season flowers will be in their true character. Look through seedlings, and discard all inferior.

Pelargoniums.-Plants that have been prepared

and treated as directed for this month's flowering will soon be gay, and the flowers will be acquiring their true character, as the blooms generally are apt to come small. The netting must now be put up to exclude bees; for if they are allowed access to the house, they fertilise the flower and it soon falls. Picotees. The yellow sorts need fewer stimulants, they are naturally less robust than the white

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Roses.-Spare no exertion to keep down green-fly; the buds will be fast forming and swelling; water copiously in dry weather; surface stir beds of, and apply a good dressing of well decomposed manure. Roses in pots will, if carefully tended, be now amply repaying the labor and attention bestowed. Keep well watered. Seed, sow of Biennials, Perennials, &c. Seedlings pot off, turn out. Stick growing border plants, and all that need support

Store-pots should now be generally emptied. Tulips.-Get the top and side cloths on; if the stage be a complete one, the top cloth can be rolled up by the pulleys and let down instantly if rain or hail threaten. As soon as the blooms show color, exclude the direct rays of the sun, but continue to let them have all the air possible. The side cloths should be very thin canvas; so thin, that in shading from sun, a free circulation of air is not prevented. As soon as the flowers begin to fade, and the beauty of the bed declines, take off the cloths and admit all the weather. Turning-out into beds, &c., ought to be completed by the end of the month. Verbenas.-Select in the beginning of the month the plants intended to grow in pots for exhibition or otherwise, and pot on into 24's, 16's, or 12's, according to habit of the variety, two or three plants of a sort in a pot, using a very rich compost-1 fibrous loam, 1 leaf mould, and 2 rotten dung; adding sand, and placing pieces of dried cow dung over the drainage, keeping the plants still in a slight hotbed of dung. Continue to harden off general stock for bedding. Towards the middle or end of

the month, as the weather suits, plant out the bedding varieties; the stronger, such as "Defiance," the weaker such as "Gloire de Paris," should be planted about 6 inches apart, the varieties of moderate growth about 9 inches. Fumigate well before bedding out. N.B. When blooms or plants berequired fer exhibition, the final stopping should not be made less than 7 nor more than 8 weeks prior to the day required. Give air to plants retained in frames to prevent weak growth. Waterings will be a duty of importance; to do effectually is to do well. Weeds should no where be seen.

[From Edwards' " Garden Almanac."]

THE GOSPEL OAK.

The custom of making the boundaries of parishes, by the neighboring inhabitants going round them once a year, and stopping at certain spots to perform different ceremonies, in order that the localities might be impressed on the memories of the young, as they were attested by the recollections of the old-is still common in various parts of the kingdom. The custom itself is of great antiquity, says Strutt, and is supposed to have been derived from the feast called Terminalia, which was dedicated to the God Terminus, who was considered as the guardian of fields and land-marks, and the promoter of friendship and peace amongst men. Its beneficial effects, and social influence, are thus described by writers, in the quaint style of two centuries by-gone:

That every man might keep his own possessions,
Our fathers used in reverent processions,
(With zealous prayers, and with praiseful cheere,)
To walk their parish limits once a year;
And well known marks, (which sacrilegious hands
Now cut or break,) so bordered out their lands,
That every one distinctly knew his owne
And many brawles, now rife, were then unknowne.

It was introduced amongst Christians about the year 800, by the pious Avitus, Bishop of Vienna, in a season of dearth and calamity: and has been continued since his time by many clergy, the minister of each parish, accompanied by his churchwardens and parishioners, going round the bounds and limits of his parish in Rogation Week, or on one of the three days before Holy Thursday (the feast of our Lord's Ascension); stopping at remarkable spots and trees, to recite passages from the Gospels, and implore the blessing of the Almighty on the fruits of the earth, and for the preservation of the rights and properties of the parish. The learned and excellent Andrews, Bishop of Winchester, left a fine model of prayer for these occasions; and it must have been a soothing sight to witness the devotional feelings of the multitude, thus called forth in the

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conversion of a subject into an affair of like or dislike. If such were allowed, there would be no property or attribute of poultry remain fixed or established; one, might dislike the feathered legs of the Shanghae; another, the rose comb of the spangled Hamburgh; a third, the whole cheek of the Spanish fowl being white; and so on.

Especially, then, does it behove men to be careful how they express themselves in print, for it is wonderful how people will at once adopt as an axiom and a truth anything that "they have properties of a fowl-yet have not proof that such seen in a book." If we do not like any particular are spurious; it is our duty to let Nature alone, and the fowl also, and not keep it. I feel convinced that no one would have questioned the propriety of beards, had not a learned author, in his dislike, most irreverently attempted to uproot them. To remove, however, the impression of dislike against the beard, I contended that, in the spangled Poland, it really harmonised with the whole appearance of the bird, with his magnificent top-knot, with his remarkably voluminous and profusely hackled neck, and with his whole dashing and debonnaire deportment.

The Poland is an exceptional fowl-differing in many of his most striking, and characteristic, and allowed attributes, from other poultry; and I do affirm that there is a harmony, and a keeping,

Under that holy oke, or Gospel Tree;
Where, though thou see'st not, thou may'st think and a consistency between the beard and the

upon

Me, when thou yearly go'st Procession.

The Gospel Oak, near Stoneleigh, stands in a little retired coppice, the solitude of which is equally favorable to thought and to devotion, to the reveries of the philosopher on ages past, and the contemplation of the Christian on ages to come.

Locos et ipsa silenta adoramus.

"In the fresh fields, His own Cathedral meet,

Built by Himself, star-roof'd and hung with green, Wherein all breathing things, in concord sweet, Organ'd by winds, perpetual hymns repeat.

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With reference to this former article, Dr. Horner, of Hull, writes as follows:

Though the minds of some appear yet uninformed, I am gratified to learn that my remarks (See Vol. II., p. 124) on the question-Whether Polands should, or should not, have beards? have been effectual in removing the prejudice, excited by the author whose dislike so unmercifully condemned the bearded variety. I showed that no argument whatever had been adduced to warrant such condemnation, and that it was simply an idiosyncracy of taste, a mere matter of personal dislike. Nothing, surely, can be more subversive of truthful inquiry than the

top-knot-between the spreading and elongated feathers or beard below the bill, and the elongated feathers or top-knot above it. They, together, exhibit a conformity and a relation which comprises a oneness or complete whole. Diminish the whole effect is gone; there remains a nakedor take away either the one or the other, and ness and a want. Thus it ever is,—

"In Nature's chain, whatever link you strike, Tenth, or ten thousandth, breaks the chain alike."

less gold and silver-spangled Polands at our For my own part, I would not admit the beard

exhibitions. Not because I think them a spectacle of nakedness, and want about the neck, throat, and head, but for the graver reason, that I deem them spurious or mongrel fowl; hybrid, I judge, between the Poland and the spangled Hamburgh.

In elucidating this, unfortunately, the plumage can assist us little in our argument, or proof, for the golden and silver-spangled Hamburghs closely approximate to the Polands. There are, however, more important points than the mere marking or color of the plumage-there are distinctions of shape, or configuration of the body; circumstances relative to that great peculiarity of Polands, the top-knot; to the comb, as well as to the beard, and to the tail-that facilitate and satisfy inquiry. First as to shape: the body of the true Poland is very round, tapering somewhat suddenly near the tail; the breast is remarkably round and protuberant, more so," observes Mr. Baily, "than in any other fowl, except the bantam ! The neck is a characteristic and striking feature: it is not only long, but it is of extraordinary thickness and fulness, and most profusely covered with voluminous hackle feathers; whilst in carriage it is upright, bold, and dashing. In the beardless variety there is

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a most perceptible modification and contrast; in a word, a very near approach to the spangled Hamburgh. The prominency and roundness of the breast is diminished, the body is narrowed, lengthened, and gradually tapering to the tail; the feathers of which, as observable in the hen, are like those of the Hamburgh, and are much longer than in the true or bearded Poland. The neck presents a striking difference: all that general volume of the neck is gone; and it is thin, spare of feathers, and meagre; in size and in proportion it is wanting.

Though, as I have said, the marking of the plumage affords us no help in tracing the beardless Poland to its connexion with the spangled Hamburgh, they being very similarly spangled-yet the nature, fabric, or material of the feather differs, and affords assistance in defining the difference between the true bearded Poland and the hybrid one. Thus, let any one handle a true golden Poland hen, and he will be struck with the remarkably soft, silky, yielding quality of feathers; it is so peculiar, that at this moment I can recall the surprise on my first handling one; while the feel or sensation communicated by the beardless fowls is like the Hamburgh, a comparative closeness and hardness of feather; there being nearly as great a difference in this respect as there is between the feel of a Shanghae and a Malay. This difference in the character of feathers in various fowls is well noticed by Mr. Baily, and a very distinctive character it is.

Again, the top-knot, in the great majority of beardless Polands (especially in the golden), is believe, invariably so in insignificant. It is, imported birds; but within the last two years, there have been raised in this kingdom some silver beardless Polands with top-knots of fair size; the golden, however, as far as I have seen at exhibitions, or heard of, still remain in statu quo; waiting some lucky hit, or cross with the bearded, to give them top-knots, and to reduce their abundant, plated, pointed combs. It is important to notice, that in breeding beardless Polands, the greatest uncertainty prevails as to the quality of the chickens. In some which I last year raised from the very best specimens of beardless silver Polands, there was a very near approach to the rose comb of the spangled Hamburgh; an uneven, serrated, protuberant, and large plate of flesh, terminating in a point, with a mere tuft of feathers for a topknot; whilst a very few had top-knots equal in size to the parents.

It is indeed a fact, as important as it is striking; that while the chickens of the true bearded Poland have invariably large and full-sized topknots, the produce, on the contrary, of beardless Polands, evince all the uncertainty and anomaly above stated. How is this? Why, I ask, should one be all certainty, the other uncertainty? The answer is clear, plain, and convincing enough. The beardless Polands being spurious, hyl-rid-now the Polish, now the Hamburgh blood or type prevails; so that in the one instance we have top-knots, in the other scarcely any, but with development of comb; for it is a fact well known to breeders, that all cross-bred birds exhibit a constant tendency to lean to one parental origin or the other; as they Thus have I shown term it, "they cry back.' that the beardless Poland is degenerate in shape,

specially and generally; also in carriage, bearing, or deportment, and in the quality of its feathers; whilst the character of its produce or chickens is ever varying and uncertain.

But what, on the other hand, has been urged against beards ?-Simply dislike. A whisper has gone forth, which no one, however, will own tothat the beard is from a cross with the Russian fowl. In truth, the Poland has no one character of the Russian; not even in the so-called beard is there any resemblance; for whilst the beard of the Russian is a long tuft, looking like a hanging bag of feathers, the beard of the Poland consists of imbricated feathers, scarcely longer than the rest on the throat, and closely, compactly, and definitely arranged in a triangular shape, the base being uppermost; it has nothing in common with the bearded tuft of the Russian, or any other fowl. It is truly sui generis-true in its own kind, and an inborn, inbred characteristic of a true Poland. In conclusion, I beg to say, that though I now write as a partisan of the bearded Poland (and coincide with the opinions of such experienced gentlemen as Mr.Vivian, as well as of Mr. Baker, of London, and others), it was only after mature reflection, observation, and experience on both varieties, kept at the same time, and in equal numbers, that the conviction was forced upon me, that the bearded are the true Polands, and that the beardless are spurious.

The long heralded Poultry Book, No I., has appeared. It is, as we imagined it would be, a book not for the multitude, but for the "choice few" who are at present if anymad after the unsightly Cochins. thing would set real judges of beauty against this particular breed, it would be the animals "figured" in this book. A great deal of discursive matter is introduced, that renders the work "heavy" though it is undeniable that the elevations, plans, designs, &c., must have been produced at some considerable cost. This, however, considering that wealthy breeders will be the principal purchasers, is of little consequence.

By and-by, when the editors (the Rev. W. Wingfield, and Mr. G. W. Johnson) have exhausted their panegyrics on the Shanghae breed, we shall see what they have to say about the more useful fowls.

We hold to our opinion (confirmed by practical poulterers), that "the Dorking," after all, is the bird for the table.

CHEERFULNESS.

HAPPY is he who, like the lark, is ever joyful, ever merry. We dearly love to hear a man sing or whistle as he walks along to his work. No one can be sensible of fatigue whilst he marches to music. The very stars are said to make harmony as they revolve in their spheres. Wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness; altogether past calcula tion its power of endurance! Efforts, to be manently useful, must be uniformly joyous, a spirit all sunshine; graceful from very gladness, beautiful because bright.

per

TIT-FOR-TAT;

OR,

THE GREAT PRINCIPLE.

NE OF MY PECULIARITIES is a strong tendency to differ in opinion from other people upon almost every possible subject. I never mouth the matter-I come out roundly. I have no doubt the reader is fond of roast-beef and plum-pudding. Now I detest them. Nothing could be more gross, earthly, stultifying. Besides, no man fond of such stuff does, ever did, or ever can sit down to a meal, without running into excess. Then come custard, ice-cream, fruit, almonds, raisins, wine. You rise with a distended sto. mach and heavy head; and stagger away ith brutish apathy. I am for light diet -milk, rice, fruit; sweet, harmless things of nature. No lamb bleeds for me. No stately ox is slain that I may feast. Old mother earth supplies my slender appetites. deep, deep spring, clear as crystal; the innocent vegetables-ethereal food. Thus I am light as air. I am keenly alive to every moral and natural beauty, which few enthusiastic beef-eaters are. I drink no beer, and I swallow no spirits. I never smoke, and I rise all the year round at five o'clock.

The

I differ from everybody in another thing. I believe in love at first sight. We ought to be able to tell in a week, whether a woman would do for a wife. The judgment of " true love" is intuitive. A glance, and it is done. A man of genius has in his own imagination a standard of the object of his love-an unexplainable model-the prototype to which exists somewhere in reality, although he may never have seen or heard of her. This is wonderful, but it is true. He wanders about the world, impervious to all the delicious, thrilling, soul-melting beams of beauty, till he reaches the right one. There are blue eyes-they are tender, but they touch not him. There are black-they are piercing, but his heart remains whole. At length, accident flings him into contact with a certain creature. He hears the tones of her voice; he feels the warm streams of soul shining from her countenance. Gaze meets gaze, and thought sparkles into thought, till the magic blaze is kindled, and-they fall in love.

It sometimes happens that, for one model in the imagination of this man of genius, there are accidentally two or three prototypes in real life; or rather, he has two or three different models.

It is a great misfortune for a man to have more models than one. They lead him astray. They involve him in difficulties. They play the very deuce with him. And yet meta

VOL. III.-16.

physicians and phrenologists ought to know, that IT IS NO AFFAIR OF HIS. If a schoolboy have the organ of destructiveness, you may "whip" him for killing flies, but you MUST NOT wonder at him. If a youthBut this brings me back again to my subject.

I never could tell how many of these models Fred had; a great many, no doubt. He was a true lover of Nature, and all her Ladyship's fair children seemed naturally to love him. They could not help it.

Oh, those sweet women! It is almost incredible. He must have dealt in magic. It was a perfect blessing to be near him; to catch the light and heat of the thousand glances which fell upon him, and of which he caught a few stray ones, though only by accident. Lovely women fell into his mouth like ripe plums. He had clusters of them. They all loved him, and he loved them all. His was

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a royal heart.

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"What are you thinking of, Fred?" said I.

"Caroline," he answered-" of course." "She who sailed yesterday for America?" "Yes-I LOVE HER."

"And she?"

He rose and opened an escritoire. "Is it not perfectly beautiful?"

The sweet relic of golden, sunshiny hair, lay curled charmingly, in a rose-colored envelope. It did look pretty. But

"Has Caroline B such light hair?" asked I. "I never knew-I always thought -I was observing only yesterday thatsurely, surely you have made some mistakesee, what is that written at the bottom of the paper? Julia!'"

Fred hastily looked again in the little pigeon-hole, and drew forth another rosecolored envelope; another! and anotner !! I smiled! So did he.

"What a vile, narrow prejudice it is!" said Fred.

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"Heartless!" exclaimed 1. "This is not love. Love is sole, absorbing-pure-constant-immutable."

"Hark'e," said Fred. "I never cease to love. Adding another angel to the list, does not infer the striking out any of the others. Oh-no! There is no limit. A man of soul loves just as he happens to be placed in rela tion to women. I am warmed by them, as I Iam when 1 stand in the sunshine. Because I have a garden here, when the beams of the god of day fall on my shoulders with a pleasing ardor-must I not feel the warmth when I stand in your garden yonder? It is the

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great principle. Should the object of my early love die, must I be ever thereafter dead to the most exquisite of human passions? Death is only absence. I know twelve pretty women. They are better than men. NATURE made them so. They are all different-all excellent-all divine. Can I be blind? Can I be deaf? Shall I deny that their voices are sweet, their hearts tender, their minds clear and intelligent? No. I love them ALL -Julia, Mary, Fanny, Helen, Henrietta, Emily, Eliza, &c. I never think of them without sensations of pure delight."

Frederick felt a hand upon his shoulder; he looked up. It was Mrs. B., his wife. "The d-I!, said he.

I had withdrawn, of course. I am a bachelor myself. Curtain lectures are not in my way. I have troubles enough of my own. Mrs. B. did not come down to dinner. Mr. B. did not come home to tea. I did not get up next morning to breakfast. So that I could not know what was the "result." Mrs. B. is one of the loveliest women I ever met. I believe I have two or three of the models myself. It is pleasant enough, but then-every rose has its thorns!

very

"Only think !" said she to me, her eyes moistened with tears, her cheek crimsoned with shame, her bosom palpitating with distress," twelve ! He loves twelve, he says." "A whole jury!" said I.

"It is monstrous!" said she. "Monstrous indeed!" echoed I. "What if I should love twelve officers!" said she.

"Tit-for-tat," said I.

"Or six?" said she.

"Too good for him," said I, taking her hand.

"Or three?" said she.

"Or one?" said I, drawing her toward me, and kissing her soft lips. She was my only sister, and I always loved her. . . . The plot was arranged. Frederick had meditated a journey of two days; but was called back, by an anonymous note, at nine the same evening. Tall women are so scarce! We hired the uniform at the tailor's

"I am thunderstruck!" exclaimed Henry to me. "The world is at an end. The sun is out. What! Kate-my dear Kate!" the tears gushed from his eyes.

"I saw it myself," said the servant. "Kiss-ed her!"

"Six times," said John.

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"I shall strangle to death."
"Patience!"

"Dear-est Colonel!" exclaimed Julia. ("The other was only the lieutenant," whispered John.)

"I am blessed with too few such faithful friends."

(I held Fred still with the grasp of a giant.)

"That I love you, I cannot deny. A woman of soul loves just as she happens to be placed in relation to men. She is warmed by their noble characters, as she is when she stands in the sunshine. It is the great principle.'" "Love-li-est of thy sex!" said her companion.

Fred burst forth, levelling both pistols at the Colonel. He pulled the triggers, but they did not go off. Pistols, loaded with sawdust, seldom do.

The Colonel uttered a scream, and fled.

"Madam!" said Fred, swelling with indignation," have you any more of these affectionate friends? "ONLY EIGHT, my dear husband. Why, what puts you in such a rage ?

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"Perfidious wretch!"

"Hear me," said Mrs. B., solemnly. "When we married, I intended to devote my life, my actions, my heart to you. From you I expected the same. I can see no distinction in our relative duties towards each other. Love must exist on both sides--or on neither. Whatever may be the opinion of a heartless world, a man of soul' and of virtue makes his wife'

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'They are here," she answered.

The door was thrown open, and the two officers, with their chapeaux off, were heard giggling and laughing in a most unmilitary manner.

What did Fred do? Just what every other good husband ought to do,-he first rubbed his eyes, and looked foolish. He then burst out into a ringing laugh, and flew into his wife's arms- sobbing audibly.

The two young military officers, of course,

Frederick caught the pistol, and pointed it" giggled" again; and as Fred had "vowed" at his head. I wrenched it from his grasp. "Come with me," I said. "Perhaps it may be a mistake."

We opened the door softly. In the next room sat Mrs. B.-at her feet a richly-dressed young soldier, who kissed her hand, received

to take vengeance on them, he took it,-in his usual manner! He was forgiven, on his promise not to offend any more.

I hope he kept his word,--for the sake of "the Great Principle !"

DOT.

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