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Yet, when from plough or lumb'ring cart set free,
They taste awhile the sweets of liberty,
E'en sober Dobbin lifts his clumsy heels,
And kicks, disdainful of the dirty wheels;
But soon, his frolic ended, yields again

To trudge the road, and wear the clinking chain.

BLOOMFIELD.

Pheasant-shooting usually terminates about the 1st, and partridge-shooting about the 15th, of this month.

Among the juvenile spots of this month, skating and sliding are still practised, if a hard frost continue; and, in foreign countries, where the winters are more severe, and the frosts more durable, sledge-processions are common. A recent traveller (Dr. Bright) gives an amusing description of one at Vienna, during the winter of 1814-15. The climate,' he says, " was then nearly as changeable as that of London: from the middle of December, however, till the middle of February, there was sufficient frost to keep the ground almost continually covered with snow. The thermometer was often at 25° of Fahrenheit, during the day, and at midnight seldom below 20°. At this period the streets of Vienna were crowded with sledges, the greater part of the wheel carriages having disappeared; even the hackney coaches had been taken from their wheels to be hung upon sledges. The horses' heads were adorned with plumes, and, as they passed over the hardened snow without occasioning any sound, it became necessary to provide them with bells, which gave warning of their approach. From 50 to 100, arranged in order, upon a piece of leather or velvet, placed upon the horses' shoulders, produced a lively and agreeable jingling sound on every motion of the animal. The scene afforded by these sledges is much more gay than that produced by an equal number of wheeled carriages: there is always some emula

tion in adorning them with plumes or coloured cloths; and among the nobility, the vanity of possessing rich and beautiful sledges was once carried to such excess, and produced such heavy expences, that it was discouraged by the court. On the present occasion, however, the emperor invited his nobility to assist in forming a magnificent procession of these vehicles for the amusement of his guests.

'On the day appointed for this parade, the streets were crowded with an expecting multitude. The greatest good order prevailed; arising, in part, from the accustomed subjection of an Austrian mob, and, in part, from the sedate and orderly feeling communicated by a Sunday dress. At two o'clock the procession began to move through the streets: it was, indeed, singularly beautiful. There were nearly forty sledges prepared for the purpose, fitted up and adorned in the most splendid manner. They all varied in colour; green, blue, red of every shade, covered with ornamental work of gold and silver, and lined within with velvet and rich fur. They were generally built like light cars, for two persons, a gentleman driving, and a lady sitting by his side; the former dressed in full uniform, the latter with high plumes of feathers, rich dresses, and a notable quantity of rouge. The greater part of this assembly were royal persons; two emperors, three kings, two or three hereditary princes, several archdukes; among the ladies were two empresses, two queens, archduchesses and princesses; and with them were observed two of our own nobility. Each sledge was drawn by a single pair of horses, covered with richly embroidered cloths of gold, with plumes upon their heads and necks, and a great mass of silver or gilded bells hanging in the usual manner across their shoulders. A

servant in a rich fur cloak stood behind each sledge, and between each, three or four equerries attended, in the uniforms and liveries of the emperor, or of their respective masters. A band of military music preceded on a large sledge constructed for the purpose, and a similar band followed. A body of horse soldiers went before the whole, and another closed the procession.

This brilliant pomp passed and repassed through all the principal streets of Vienna; then, leaving the town, proceeded to a palace of the emperor at some distance, where a magnificent dinner and a theatrical exhibition had been prepared; and, at ten o'clock, the procession returned by the light of torches. As it approached over the glacis, and open space between the walls of the city and its suburbs, the effect was very striking. The ground was covered with deep snow, and the winding course of the procession was marked like a river of fire, by the flames of the moving torches. When they entered the streets, the effect was in a great degree lost; and, after a short circuit, the ladies were conducted to their respective habitations.'

The few fine days towards the latter end of February afford many opportunities of cultivating our knowledge of Nature, even in her minutest works. The results of a morning's walk at this season are given at length in T.T. for 1817, p. 53.

In this month, early potatoes are set, hedges repaired, trees lopped, and wet lands drained. Poplars, willows, osiers, and other aquatics, are planted.-Lines omitted in January:

Downe with your timber wood, and let it not stand,
Remembering for barlie to fallowe your

land;

From hedges and trees brush all needless sprigs,
And now go a birding with nets and lime twigs.
If sore sicknesse greeve thee,

Let physicke relieve thee.

DESCRIPTION OF FRUIT TREES.

[Continued from p. 34.]

CHERRY-TREE (prunus cerasus).-The different sorts of this well-known tree are very numerous. It has been observed to grow to the height of eighty-five feet; and when it is of a large size, its wood is esteemed for making chairs, stools, cabinets, tables, and musical instruments. It polishes well, and is very useful for turners, and is often stained to imitate mahogany. It grows generally in a sandy soil, and an elevated situation. The gum that exudes from it is equal to gum arabic; and it is recorded in history that more than one hundred men were kept alive during a siege, without any other food than a little of this gum taken sometimes into the mouth, and suffered gradually to dissolve. The garden cherry tree seldom exceeds twenty feet in height, but that sort called the black cherry often rises to fifty feet, with a more erect and stately head. It is much cultivated in the Chiltern part of Buckinghamshire, and makes a beautiful appearance in the spring, putting forth its blossoms at the same time that the beech is in leafing.

The common Kentish cherry is thought to be the original of all the varieties now cultivated in the English gardens. It is sufficiently distinguished by its peculiarities, which is readily perceived. The early May cherry is the first that ripens, and valuable on that account. Another sort, called the May Duke, which is larger than the May cherry, ripens next after it, and is a more valuable fruit. It is succeeded by the Arch Duke, which is an excellent cherry when permitted to ripen. It should be planted against a north wall, and ought not to be gathered before Midsummer. It would be better still if suffered to hang F

till the middle of July, even in the neighbourhood of the metropolis, where it ripens a fortnight sooner than in places forty miles distant. Other favourite sorts of cherries are the Flemish, the Red Heart, the White Heart, the Black Heart, the Black Kent, the Amber Heart, the Oxheart, and the Morello. The last is generally planted against a north wall, and used for preserving; but if planted in a south west aspect, and suffered to hang till the middle of August, it will furnish the most delicious fruit for the table.

The Wild Cherry Trees are very suitable for ornamenting parks, as they grow to a large size, and make a beautiful appearance. In spring, when they are in flower, they are extremely handsome. The fruit affords good food for the feathered race, and the wood is useful for turners. They will thrive better in poor land than most other sorts. The French often plant them for avenues to their houses, and cultivate them in their woods to cut, while young, for hoop-making. The Bird cherry tree rises to the height of ten or twelve feet, and will grow to nine or ten inches diameter in the trunk. The branches grow wide and scattering, and are covered with a purplish bark. The leaves are egg-shaped, but pointed at the end, and slightly jagged all round the edges, like the teeth of a small saw. The flowers, which are white and smaller than those of the common cherry tree, have a strong smell, which is offensive to most persons. It is a very ornamental shrub, for groves or fields; but the fruit is nauseous, although, when bruised and infused in wine or brandy, it gives an agreeable flavour to those liquors. The berries are greedily eaten by birds, and from this circumstance the common name of the tree is derived. The wood being smooth and tough, is excellent for knife and whip handles. This species of fruit tree has been cultivat

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