obliged to be sown every year, and which produce seed in autumn, and then die, are called annuals, from the Latin word annus, a year; those which live only two years, are called biennials; and those which endure many years, such as pinks, carnations, wallflowers, and others, are called perennials, from the Latin word perennis, continual or unceasing. The sweetpea is an annual; the everlasting pea is a perennial.

"I am now going to prune the shrubbery; in the meanwhile you may plant out those young pinks and wallflowers which have remained in the pots since last autumn, in the beds I have marked out for them. When that is done, we will collect the shrubbery cuttings for the wood-house, and then dig it all over together." This was a noble task, and occupied them some days, as they took the opportunity of securing the suckers of such shrubs as they wished to increase, planting them about a foot apart in a vacant spot of the garden for future use. Having finished this, and pruned all the fruit and wall trees, and dressed the strawberry beds, and sown a few more flower seeds, such as mignionette, lavatera, and ten-week stock, in pots and under glasses for early flowering, they looked round their garden in happy consciousness that their work was now fairly under their controul. "We are now come to the end of the month," said Mr. Stock, "and if you look round our garden, you will find many cheerful and lovely flowers in blossom. There is the aconite, the Alpine alysson, the beautiful anemone, the crocus, and the modest-looking snowdrop; the primrose, and the richly-coloured wallflower, mixing with the Persian iris, and hepatica; the long-lasting daisy, and the daffodil that seems to laugh at the cold. Then, among the flowering shrubs, we have the elegant almond tree,

the favourite of one of our sweetest poets, Spenser; our cheerful and shady friend, the laurustinus, that begins to flower when the gay colours of summer leave us, and never ceases till they return to us again; and many others I need not name. Who would think there was such a variety, when but a few weeks back the snow covered the ground, and the tender shoots were bound in by the frost? If this month has been stormy and wet, remember what I told you about rain! The inconveniences of life are never to be compared with its rational delights; and when we think of the benefits a rainy day brings us, never let us be discontented with February."

CHAPTER III.

"As yet the trembling year is unconfirmed,

And winter oft at eve resumes the breeze."

THOMSON.

THE last few days of February and the first week of March were so stormy, and attended with such floods of rain, that it was of little use attempting anything in the garden; but at length the weather having cleared, and a brisk wind sprung up, the surface of the ground was soon sufficiently dry for them to resume their work; and Adam was told that this would be a busy month with them. "In the first place," said Mr. Stock, 66 we must weed all the beds sown last month and the month before; and if we persevere now, we shall keep the garden clear, and benefit the plants." This was a hard task for Adam, and he soon got tired of it; but as his father

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helped him, and kept steadily at it, he did not complain. When they had finished, his father shewed him how to dress the artichokes, and take off the suckers for young plants; to fork up the asparagus beds, and sow seeds for fresh beds. "And now," said his father, we must get our main crops of carrots, parsnips, and onions in for winter use; and if you will take the barrow, and wheel in some manure from the yard, we will make a cucumber bed." This task Adam found rather an arduous one; but being anxious to have something new shewn him, he was not long about it. Having got a sufficient quantity of manure for his purpose, Mr. Stock began his bed by measuring off a square space, the exact size of the frame, driving a strong stake at each corner. He then tossed the manure well about with a fork, laying it neatly within the line he had drawn from each stake, until he had got about two feet and a half above the surface, patting it all round with his fork to give it a tidy appearance. "Now, Adam," said he, “we shall leave this for a couple of days, in order that some of the heat may go off before we put on the mould; and then we shall sow our cucumbers, and, at the same time, plunge a few pots of balsams, and other tender annuals, into it, which will give us a fine show of these beautiful plants in July and August. In the meantime, we will plant out our early potatoes. I will shew you how to cut them into quarters, so as to leave in each an eye, which will produce a shoot and a fresh plant; but we will first try some potatoes planted whole. When the seed can be afforded, this plan is the best; for our crop will not only be of better quality, but much more certain." These various matters occupied about a fortnight, during which time they might truly be said to have had

"March with many weathers;" for in one day they had wind, sunshine, snow, rain, and fierce storms of hail. And Mr. Stock had reason to congratulate himself and Adam on having covered up their tender and beautiful flowers, and screened their wall-trees from the "slanting bullets of the storm."

By-and-bye, however, other harbingers of the spring made their appearance; the lively song of the chaffinch was heard between the showers, and the thrush made the garden ring Iwith his rich note. The rooks from a neighbouring rookery were heard all day long, evidently in a great bustle and preparation, and all nature seemed alive to the enjoyment of the scene, Mr. Stock now turned his whole attention to the

flower garden. During this month, he told Adam, all the annual flower seeds must be sown; and he went round all the beds and borders, marking a circle half an inch deep with the rim of a flower pot, wherever he wished to sow seeds; and, putting one of the painted sticks in, with the name of the seed he intended to have sown written in pencil, he would then deliver to Adam the requisite quantity of seed, directing him to scatter it thinly round the circle: in some instances, where a patch was to be entirely covered, as with mignionette or candytuft, he would hollow out the whole circle, and desire him to scatter it thinly on the whole basin he had formed. The flower beds were then neatly raked and weeded, and some of the layers of the finest carnations removed into pots, for flowering on a stage.

In this manner Adam was trained up to habits of industry, which he never afterwards forgot. Along with these habits of industry, his education in other respects was not neglected: the evenings were devoted to reading amusing and instructive

books, on which both Mr. Stock and his mother would examine him, and see that he understood what he was reading. He was also taught closely to observe the habits of animals and plants, and to make himself acquainted with the names of such as he met with in his walks; but, above all, he was taught to love and be gentle to every living creature, as the surest means of becoming himself happy and contented.

It was the practice of the whole family to bring home specimens of the wild flowers they met in their walks to their mother, who was a good botanist. "This branch," she would say, "with its soft pretty tufts like velvet, is the sallow; children call it palm; and in some parts, the country people adorn their churches with it on Palm Sunday; so called, because on that day our Saviour rode into Jerusalem on an ass, when the people strewed branches of palm before him." Mr. Stock would then explain to them the uses to which it was applied. "Sallow," he would say, "makes excellent charcoal for gunpowder and for drawing with; the turners use it for making trap and cricket bats, and it makes excellent hurdles." Mary and Bella would then produce their handfuls of violets and primroses. "The violet," Mrs. Stock would say, "should have some heavenly name given to it, because it is so exquisite, both in its scent and appearance, and yet makes so little show of its excellence." The plants in bloom were now getting very numerous, but Adam felt a deep interest in the subject, and could repeat the names of most of the wild flowers he had observed in blossom during the month.