32 PLOUGHING AND SOWING. bee from which it is expected; and this, opening its honey-bag, lets some drops fall into the other's mouth. How they prepare the honey for the cells, has not been discovered. You have seen a piece of honey-comb: well, in one day, these industrious and wonderful little creatures are able to build cells for three thousand young bees. But then you should be told, that there are in a full hive thirty thousand bees. Now, Adam, I think we will leave off work for to-day." So they put away their tools, and went in-doors. In the evening, after Adam had finished two or three sums in arithmetic, and had read one of Miss Edgeworth's beautiful little stories, he went happily to bed. The following day was employed in sowing more flower seeds; such as lavatera, Venus' looking-glass, Venus' navel-wort, &c.; and for early blowing, mignonette in pots, and ten-week stocks, both under a hand glass. They also stirred up the earth around the bulbous roots, and watered those in pots. After dinner, his father told him he intended going to the mill, to order some barley meal, and that he might go with him if he wished. In their way, they observed men ploughing, sowing, and harrowing. Adam wanted to know what they were sowing now. His father said it was either beans, peas, rye, or spring wheat, which they also call lent corn, from its being sown about that time of the year. Every thing was silent around them; the preparing for the seed, and the putting it into the ground, all seemed as quiet as when it was growing. They heard nothing but the soft shrill hum of a swarm of gnats above their heads, and the song of the poor ploughboy, as he waded by the side of the team. "How different is this scene, Adam," said his father, "from PLOUGHMAN AND SOIER. 33 what is called 'the seat of war;' which means the particular country where a war is carried on. How much more delightful is the sight of this quiet labor, and these green fields, than it would be for us to witness thousands of horse and foot soldiers treading down and destroying the fruit of the husbandman's industry to hear the noise of the trumpets, the roarng of the guns, the 'thunder of the captains, and the shouting.' How much more pleasant is it to hear that simple plough-boy singing because he is happy and contented, than it would be to hear him raving and trying to cut down a fellow-creature with a sword, to stab him through the bowels with a bayonet, or to shoot him through the heart with a bullet. And how much more honorable is his present occupation, that of preparing food for his fellow-creatures, than is the life of a soldier! both are paid for what they do; the ne for useful labor, the other to kill his own brother, if he be ordered to do so. The soldier, it is true, is dressed in finer clothes, and is altogether a smarter person than the ploughman; but then the clothes which the ploughman has on are his own, and purchased with his own money: the fine red or blue dresses in which the soldier is adorned are given to him to wear as long as he is a soldier, and if he is not very careful of them, he is severely punished." Adam said he should like to have such fine dresses as the soldier, and be able to buy them like the ploughman. "Well," said his father, "it is very natural that you, who are but a little boy, should like those fine gay clothes, for the soldiers themselves like them very much. You have only to be diligent and honest, and you will be able to purchase for yourself much handsomer clothes than a soldier's; and you will be a great deal more respected and beloved by good men. 24 34 FLOWERS OF FEBRUARY. "We are now come to the end of the month, 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 snow-drop still; the primrose too, the richly-colored wall-flower, which was known to the Romans, and bore the same name; the polyanthus, with its various bright colors; the periwinkle, with its delicate heavenly blue; the perennial adonis; the graceful Persian iris; hepatica; hellebore; the heart's ease, as beautiful in its name as it is in its velvet blossom of gold and royal blue; the cheerful and longlasting daisy; the daffodil, that seems to laugh at the cold, and dance with every wind that blows; and cyclamen, I believe, the last. Then among the shrubs, we have that elegant tree, the almond, which was a favorite of one of the sweetest poets that ever lived— SPENSER. Our cheerful and steady friend, the laurustinus, that begins to flower when the gay colors of summer leave us, and never ceases till they return to us again; the Glastonbury thorn, about whose blowing the artful and deceiving monks of old time told a foolish story of its having formerly been the walking-stick of a disciple of Jesus Christ; who planting it in the earth near the abbey of Glastonbury, it flowered at Christmas, in honor of his master Jesus, who was born at that time. Then follow the cornelian cherry and cherry plum, together with the mezereon, which is a beautiful little plant; and the phillyrea, spurge laurel, and pyracantha, with its clusters of bright red berries. Here is a famous catalogue of beauties for this season of the year! Who would think there was such a variety, when but a few weeks since the snow covered the ground, and the tender shoots of the flowers were FLOWERS OF FEBRUARY. 335 bound in by the frost? When we get home, you may, if you wish, gather a few of all, and take' them to mamma, to adorn the parlor. If this month has been very stormy and wet, remember what I told you about rain. The inconveniences we meet in life are not to be compared with the delights; and when we think of the great good that rainy days will hereafter bring us, we must not be discontented with the month of FEBRUARY." They now arrived at home, and Adam went immediately to gather the flowers for his CHAPTER III. MARCH. "As yet the trembling year is unconfirm'd, At length, array'd In all the colors of the flushing year, By nature's swift and secret-working hand, THE last two or three days of February, and the first week of the present month, MARCH, were so stormy, and attended with such floods of rain, that Mr. Stock found it was of very little use attempting to do any thing in the garden; he therefore told Adam, that as the weather was so unfavorable, he should take advantage of it, and get on as fast as he could with his arithmetic and geography; "for," said he, "you know how often I have told you that the real meaning of independence is, our being able to do every thing for ourselves. Now, you are aware, that no man could be able to prepare and make every thing he wanted. A North American Indian, or any other wild man, would, because his wants are fewer than ours; every thing he requires, he can make. His mat for a bed; his bow and arrows, and fishing lines and nets, to procure him food; and he can build himself a hut. But we are brought up |