I come from the continent, particularly from Holland, where the natives attend carefully to their cultivation; and so fond are the Dutch of these flowers, that they will give the most enormous prices for the roots of those they consider the finest They make these flower-roots a part of their trade, and export them to other countries. Many of those you now admire, came from Holland last autumn. The gardener takes care of the young offsets at the roots, and they produce fresh flowers in two or three years. All the colours of the rainbow may be seen here. Those which are double are most valued by the florist; but they have no perfume, as if nature had thought the great beauty of their appearance sufficient to attract one of our senses, without giving them more subject for admiration. "Mamma," said Agnes, "I have found out a bed of flowers both beautiful and sweet: you may smell them at this distance." "Those fragrant flowers are! called hyacinths," said Mrs. Vernon: "they are also imported from the con same genus or family; and these are as common in some parts of Asia, as buttercups are in this country. We have an infinite variety of them, and you may find seven or eight species of the flower in the same field; but you must know a little of botany, before I can point out to you the differences by which you may distinguish them. I will tell you now, that your favourite bachelor's button, Frank, is one of the ranunculus tribe. Do you remember the name of that flower near you?" "Oh yes, mamma! it is the same as those we had in pots, under glasses, in February: it is an auricula." "I am glad to observe," said Mrs. Vernon, "that you remember the instructions you receive; and I assure you botany can never be learned without attention, nor even the names of plants in common use But it |