The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1871-11-01
Self-Culture.

uCfc, WIS greatly SIfucK Wild tnO
brilliant colors Of his neighbours
flowers.
'"Ay, my lord, tho flowers aro
well enough" said the squire,
"but permit mo to show you my
grapes"
Conducted into an old-fashioncd
little greenhouse, which served rs
winery, my lord gozcd with nor
titication and envy on the grapes
twice as fino as his own.
"My dear friend" said tho peer,
"you have jewel Of II gardener; !;
let me soc him."
Tho gardener WAS called-thc
single gardcncr--a simplo-looking
young man under thirty.
"Accept my compliments on
your flowcr-bcd and grapes" said
my lord sand toll me if you can,
why your flowers arc 80 much
brighter than mine, and your
grapes so much finer. You must
have studied horticulture profound
ly."
"Plcaso your lordship," said tho
man, ~ have not had tho ndvan-
tayo of much education; l bcan't
no scholar; but az to the flowers
and the vines, the secret rs to
treating them just came to mo,
yon see, by chance"
by chance ? Explain"
"Wcll, my lord, three years ago
master sent me to Iunnon on bust
ness OF bis'n; and it came on II
rain; and | took shelter in a news,
you Sec"
"Ycs; you took shelter in Il
news and what thcn p
"And thore were two gentlemen
took shelter, too; and they were
talking to each other about char.
coal"
"About charcoal ? Go on"
"And ono said that it had done
Il deal O. good in many kinds Of
sickness. and specially in the first
stage Of cholera; and took note
on my mind Of that, because we'd
had the cholora in our village the
year atorc; and | guessed the two
gentlemen were doctors, and knew
what they wcro talking about"
II daro say they did but flow
crs aid vines don't have tho cho-
lcra, do they?"
mo, my lord, but they have
complaints Of their own and one
Of the gentleman went on to say,
that charcoal had special good
effect upon all vegetable life, and
told story Of y vinc-drcsscr, IN
Germany, ! think, who had made
a very sicIiIy, poor vineyard one
Of the best in those parts simply
by charcoal dressing. So l natu.
rally p"iclled up my cars at that,
for our vines were in such n bad
way that master thought of doing
away with them altogether. Ay,'
said tho old gentleman, and see
how IL little sprinkling Of charcoal
will brighten up flower bed
The rain was now over, and the
gentlemen loft the mows; and /
'thought---,'Wcll, but before l try
charcoal uron my plants, had best
make some inquiry Of them as
aren't doctors but gardeners so /
went to our nurscryman, who has
deal of book-lcarning, and | ask
cd him if ho'd over heard Of char.
coal dressing being good for vines !;
and he said he hud read in Il book
that it WAS 80, but had never tried
1t. lie kindly lont mo tho book,
which was translated from some
forrcn one. And, after | had
picked out of it all / could, | tried
tho charcoal in tho way tho bood
told me to try it, and that's how
the grapes and tho flower beds
camo to please you my lord. It's
II lucky chance that ever | hoard
those gentlemen talking in the
news, please your lordship."
"Chanco happens to ALL" ans
wcrod tho pocr, sentontiously ;
"but to turn ohnnoo to account is
Ihe SllI oI lc".
His lordship, roturnod home,
gazod gloomily on tho hucs of his
vast partcrres he visited his
wineries, and secuted at tho cIus-
tcrs; no summoned his head gar
denor---a gentleman Of highest 70
puto for soionoc, and who novor
spoke Of q oowslip except by it's
namo in Latin. no this learned
parsonage my lord communicated
what he had hoard and seen Of tho
bcnignant ciloots Of charcoal, and
produced in proof q magnificent
bunch Of grapes, which no had
brought from tho squires.
"My lord" said the gardener,
scarcely glancing at tho grapes,
"Squirc.-----'s gardener must be q
poor ignorant creature to fancy he
had discovered ~ secret in what is
so woll known to every profosscc
horticulturist. Professor I4iobig,
my lord, has treated Of tho good
effect Of charcoal dressing to vinos
especially and it is to DO explained
on these chemical principles :"
thorcwith tho wiso man entered