Year: 1875
Type: book
Abstract: But, if he eschews the endeavour to dazzle, and merely aspires to be useful, he must adopt the humble role of an apolo- gist, and give such preliminary explanations of the object which he proposes to accomplish as may VI THE A UTHOR TO THE READER.secure for him a patient hearing on the part of those whom he desires to please and to benefit.The earnest purpose of this little volume, then, is that it may assist in developing the popular taste for Ferns in such a way as to lead to the more extensive cultivation of these graceful and beautiful plants in our gardens and in our dwelling-houses ; nay, even so far as such an arrangement would be practicable, in our places of business, wherever they may be.The author claims to have originated the idea which these pages will unfold.He has noticed and many others have doubtless done the same that within recent years there has been in our cities and towns a great development in the practice , of what is called "window gardening."This practice has not been confined to the humbler classes.Rich and poor have come now to adopt " window gardening" to a much greater extent than formerly ; and so far as the poor are concerned, attempts have been made by philanthropic persons and by philanthropic associations to foster and encourage the new taste.The wealthy, when they have not THE AC/THOR TO THE READER.vii window gardens, have the means of providing similar objects of enjoyment.Their wealth enables them to gratify their tastes ; and these are not fettered by any considerations of cost.But in our cities and towns, the immediate surroundings of the poor-whose existence is too commonly cheer- less and sad-are painfully dismal.Penury and IX it is the exception to find gardens in the central parts of large towns.Small open spaces or yards may sometimes exist in lieu of gardens.But in such spaces everything has, too frequently, a bleak and arid aspect, except where " boon nature " has thrown down a few blades of grass or some hardy weed which can bravely live amidst uncongenial surroundings ; or where, perhaps, the occupiers of the houses which possess such dismal open spaces may have introduced shrubs, plants, or flowers in pots.In town suburbs gardens are more plentiful, and flower gardening occasionally is practised with great artistic effect.Even in town suburbs, however, there is many a bleak uncultivated corner which might be subjected with advantage to the enlivening influence of plants.But the Ferns-why are not they brought into more extended cultivation ?Not because there is any disinclination to do so on the part of town dwellers.On the contrary, are the numbers not counted by hundreds of thousands of those who, chained to business in the heart of the great business centres, and consequently kept for THE AUTHOR TO THE READER.many months within city walls, wearily pine for fresh country breezes, and for the green, the delightful, the refreshing green of the fields and hedgerows ?Well does the author remember his own feelings after a first residence of a few months in London.Coming away from the delightful West of England, amidst whose beautiful scenes he must have im- bibed in his earliest years his passionate love for hill, woodland and stream, the atmosphere of the Metropolis hung heavily upon him.Six months of that first residence in the great wilderness of houses seemed six years to him.But oh ! the glad sense of freedom when the time came at the end of the six months for relaxation, and business could be thrown up for a few weeks.How keen was the enjoyment of the railway journey for a hundred and sixty miles-how delightful to drink in the lovely landscapes which passed in rapid alternation before his eye!Such an experience is by no means a solitary one.It has been said that there are hundreds of thousands of town dwellers who every day are
Source: Hodder and Stoughton eBooks
Author: Francis George Heath
Language: English
Subfield: Soil Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4297978968