The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-09-21

A certain nobleman, very proud G
the extent and beauty of his pleasur
grounds, chancing one day to call o.
. small squire, whose garden nigh
cover half an acre, was great,
struck with the brilliant colors Of hi
neighbor's flowers.
SAY, my lord, tho flowers are vel
enough" said the squire, "but. per
init mo to show my grapes"
Conducted into an old-fashionet
little grcen house, which ser vod as ,
winery, my lord gazed with mortifi
cation and envy on grapes twico q,
fine as his own.
"My dear friend" said tho peer
"yoa have . jewel Of > gardener 10
mo see him |"
Tho gardener was called-t h I
single gardener simple looking
young man under thirty.
Accept my compliments on your
flower bed and grapes" said my
lord "and tell me, if you can, why
your flowers arc SO much brighter
than mine, and your grapes 80 much
finer. You must have studied horti-
culture profoundly"
" Please your lordship," said the
man, III have not had tho advantage
of much education; bean't no
scholar; but as to the flowers and
the vines the secret as to treating
them just came to me, you see, by
chance"
" By chance? Explain"
Well, my lord, three years ago
master sent mo to IIunnun on bus
mess of his'n; and it came on to
rain ; and took shelter in a news,
you sce."
eyes; you took shelter in q mews;
and what then ?"
"And there were two gentlemen
took shelter, too; and they were
talking to each other about char
coal"
"About charcoal Go on"
"And one said that it had done q
deal O. good in many kinds Of sick
ness, and specially in the first stage
of cholera and took a note on my
mind Of that, because we'd had the
cholera in our village the year afore !;
and l guessed the two gentlemen
were doctors, and knew what they
we're talking about"
II dare say they did but flowers
and vines don't have the cholera, do
they 2"
"No, my lord, but they have CON-
plants of their own and one of the
gentlemen went on to say that char
coal had special good effect upon
all vegetable life, and told a story of
3 vlne-dresser, in Germany, l think,
who had made very sickly, poor
one Of the best in all those
parts simply by charcoal dressing.
So naturally pricked up my ears at
that, for our vines were in So bad q
way that master thought Of doing
away with them altogether. Ay,,
said the old gentleman, sand SEQ how
q little sprinkling of charcoal will
brighten up flower bed.' The rain
was now over, and the gentlemen
eft the news; and / thought
Well, but before try the charcoal
upon my plants, I'd best make some
inquiry of them as aren't doctors but
gardeners 80 | went to our nursery.
man, who has { deal of book learn
ng, and l asked him if he'd ever
heard of charcoal dressing being
rood for vines; and he said ho had
,ead in a book that it was so, but
,ad never tried it. He kindly lent
ne the book, which was translated
rom some foreign one. And, after |
,ad picked out of it all l could,
ried the charcoal in the way the
,ook told me to try it, end that's
low the grapes and the flower beds
'ame to please you, my lord. It's a
ucky chance that ever | heard those
gentlemen talking in the news,
'lease your lordship."
"Chance happens to all" answered
he peer, sententiously, "but to
urn chance to account is the gift OF
ew."
His lordship, returning homo,
,azed gloomily on the hues of his
'ast parterres he visited his wineries,
md secuted at tho clusters he sum-
noned his head gardener gentle
nan of the highest repute for science,
Ind who never spoke of o cowslip
except by its name in Latin. To
his learned parsonage my lord com.
what he had heard and
'een Of the benignant effects OF char
,oal, and produced in proof a magnifi-
cent bunch of grapes, which ho had
from the squire's.
"My lord" said the gardener,
glancing at the grapes,
'Squire--'s gardener must be .
poor ignorant creature to fancy he
aad discovered q secret in what is SO
we'll known to every professed horti-
,ulturist. Professor Liebig, my lord,
has treated of the good effect OF char
coal dressing to vines especially; and
t is to be explained on these chemi-
,al principles !" then with tho wise
man entered into o profound disserta
lion of which his lordship did not
understand a word.
"Well, then," said the peer, cutting
short the harangue, "since you know
70 we'll that charcoal dressing is good
for vines and flowers, have you ever
tried it on mine ?'
81 can't say have, my lord +; it did
not chance to come into my head."
"Nay," replied the peer chance
put it into your head, but thought
never took it out Of your head"
My Lord, who, if hc did not know
much about horticulture, was good
Judge Of mankind, dismissed tho man
of learning, and, with many apologies
for seeking to rob his neighbor OF
such . treasure, asked the squire to
transfer TO his service the man of
genius. The squire, who thought
that now the charcoal had been once
discovered, any new gardener could
apply it as we'll as the old one, was
too happy to oblige my lord, and
advance the fortunes OF an honest
fellow born in his village. His lord
ship know very well that a man who
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