The Penn's Grove record., 1889-09-21
THE FLOWER GARDEN.

THE FLOWER GARDEN.
FLowrRs have no prejudices; they
grow 20 well for sinner o saint, pro
vided their material wants are satisfied
They will do their best to adapt them
selves TO all situations, but when 1t Is
impossible they die; we must not eI,
pect impossibilities Of them. They Will
not flourish in q highly moral stmos-
phere il II 10 unbealthful. The teach
ings Of flowers are never bad; II the
study Of them leads us to Q ''nstural re.
ligion" it must be one that is good. II
we End anyone going about doing good
we do not inquire g to his creed,
neither do we OF Q flower. Their works
tell Of their faith. Those who go forth
with Q heart full OF human affection,
and perhaps with Q handful Of flowers,
rarely fail of their mission, be they
Jew or GENTLE. 80.
POISONOUS CHARACTER OF IHE oLEANDER.
It 10 perhaps not generally known
that the leaves Of the beautiful and
gorgeous oleander are endowed with
extremely poisonous properties, n
that injurious effects may follow the
cultivation Of the plant in inhabited
houses. The poisonous character OF
the plant is mentioned by Pliny, snd
recent investigations have shown that
the old Roman naturalist was right. In
Madrid, q few years ago, several people
were poisoned by eating game which
for some reason had been roasted with
oleander leaves. In the southern parts
of Spain and Italy, the grated bark is
used ~ poison for rats, mice and ver-
min, and places where the oleander
grows in abundance are considered as
unhealthy as the terrible fever swamps,
and are Stunned by the people. In
northern Africa, where the oleander
grows luxuriantly and adds a wonderful
charm to the banks of every stream, it
is not tolerated near human habitations,
and in some districts its cultivation near
houses is prohibited by law. II is a
significant fact that the flowers OF the
oleander are stunned by bees.-Die
G~artenlaube. -.
THERE Is A BEAUTIFUL Custom in
some Of the northern parts OF Europe.
There the white poplar, in good soil,
increases Q shilling in value every year.
The trees are generally cut down at the
age Of 20 years, as they are then sup
posed to have attained their full growth.
When q daughter is born in the family
of q respectable farmer, the father, as
as the season will permit, plants a
thousand young trees, whichare to con-
stitute the dowry of the maiden, (which
grow as she grows, and increase in
height and value as her virtues and
beauty increase"
The American climate in winter keeps
us indoors so much that it is our duty
to stay in the open air all that is posi-
BILE during good weather. Pleasant
society and sports Of different kinds
add to the attractions of even trees and
flowers. We hope to see handsome
grounds available for the use of people
not having extensive ones Of their own,
such, for instance, as that of the South
ampton Horticultural Society's grounds
in WestwoOd Park, Hants, England,
which are admirably adapted for all
kinds of fetes, garden parties, pic-nics,
archery meetings, etc. Tennis courts
are open all the season. The great
event of the year is the horticultural
show. We wish there could be more
local flower shows in America than
there are. No form Of amusement is
more generally popular il the thing is
well done, but beware Of q poor one.
We never knew a good n to fail fin
ancially unless by gross mismanage-
ment. A good show, is what pleases
people most, not simply q collection Of
botanical rarities. If in 9 rural neigh
borhood, have it in q tent or under
awnings, which are often effective if
scattered about, with plenty of light
and air; music, of course, and a crowd
of well-dressed people will loon inter
est each other. The decorative and
floral sides are what please the general
public in these things, and they should
be made as prominent as possible. Sue
cess in all ways usually depends upon
artistic success in these particulars.
People are ready to contribute their
fruit and flowers in aid of local i'm
provements or charities, and the indi-
rect benefit to the community in the
cultivation Of taste and the amenities
of life and intercourse, is often more
valuable than what the benefciaries re-
ceive.