the seeds; and it also, when it is stirred up, goes into the
man who stirs it. The hot sun on his back as he bends to his shovel and
hoe, or contemplatively rakes the warm and fragrant loam, is better than
much medicine. The buds are coming out on the bushes round about; the
blossoms of the fruit trees begin to show; the blood is running up the
grapevines in streams; you can smell the Wild flowers on the near bank;
and the birds are flying and glancing and singing everywhere. To the
open kitchen door comes the busy housewife to shake a white something,
and stands a moment to look, quite transfixed by the delightful sights
and sounds. Hoeing in the garden on a bright, soft May day, when you are
not obliged to, is nearly equal to the delight of going trouting.

Blessed be agriculture! if one does not have too much of it. All
literature is fragrant with it, in a gentlemanly way. At the foot of the
charming olive-covered hills of Tivoli, Horace (not he of Chappaqua)
had a sunny farm: it was in sight of Hadrian's villa, who did landscape
gardening on an extensive scale, and probably did not get half as much
comfort out of it as Horace did from his more simply tilled acres. We
trust that Horace did a little hoeing and farming himself, and that his
verse is not all fraudulent sentiment. In order to enjoy agriculture,
you do not want too much of it, and you want to be poor enough to have
a little inducement to work moderately yourself. Hoe while it is spring,
and enjoy the best anticipations. It is not much matter if things do not
turn out well.

FIRST WEEK

Under this modest title, I purpose to write a series of papers, some of
which will be like many papers of garden-seeds, with nothing vital in
them, on the subject of gardening; holding that no man has any right to
keep valuable knowledge to himself, and hoping that those who come after
me, except tax-gatherers and that sort of person, will find profit in
the perusal of my experience. As my knowledge is constantly increasing,
there is likely to be no end to these papers. They will pursue no
orderly system of agriculture or horticulture, but range from topic to
topic, according to the weather and the progress of the weeds, which may
drive me from one corner of the garden to the other.

The principal value of a private garden is not understood. It is not to
give the possessor vegetables or fruit (that can be better and cheaper
done by the market-gardeners), but to tea