THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 73 



these out, and fill up their places by transplanting from your reserve 

 plot. 



Golden Balm makes a splendid edging, if planted where it can 

 remain several years, but is useless if propagated or lifted annually. 

 Bear in mind, however, that about the middle of July it goes rusty, 

 and is no more use until the next season. No art of man can pre- 

 vent this ; it is the nature of the belated beauty. Arabis luclda, 

 fol. var., makes a chaste yellowish edging on a dry, sandy soil, but is 

 useless on loam and clay, as a rule. You see this plant in perfection 

 at Kew, where the soil is too sandy for deodaras and cauliflowers. 



Coleus Beauty op St. John's Wood will be, I believe, the 

 grandest golden leaf bedder ever yet seen, but my belief in anything 

 is only worth so much or so little. Try it as an experiment, you 

 who value yellow leaves, and be sure to give it a rich light soil, and 

 a sunny situation. Mr. Gibson's way is the best ; he plunges the 

 coleus in pots, haying quite given up the system of planting out. 



Fuchsia Golden Fleece makes a pretty, mild mass of yellow ; 

 it is not golden. The flowers must be picked off, and the best way 

 to do it is to nip off the tips of the shoots every ten days. 



Pyrethrum Golden Feather is a first-rate bedding plant for a 

 line or mass of clear sulphur colour. Any soil will do, but sun it 

 must have. If you cannot afford plants, buy seed, for it comes that 

 way as true as the Floral World. 



Variegated Coltsfoot is extremely pretty, but scarcely belongs 

 to the class of yellow bedders. The best way to make a correct 

 line is to plunge potted plants. At all events, if you plant it out, 

 it will run about, for it is an outrageous traveller. On a poor sandy 

 or chalky soil it is fine. 



Golden Thtme. — I saw a lot of this lately at Messrs. E. G. 

 Henderson's. I was afraid to ask the name or the price, for fear 

 they should charge me a guinea for looking at it. What a gem of a 

 plant, to be sure ; if the fairies do not carry it clean out of mortal 

 reach, they deserve to be themselves put clean out of sight from 

 people who patronize pantomimes. There is a Thymus zygis, native 

 of Spain, a white-flowering plant, which resembles it in shape and 

 size of leaf. Can this be tbe species ? I don't know ; I was afraid 

 to inquire ; but I should like a knoll of the " Golden Thyme" in 

 my fernery, for my tame rabbits to sit upon ; they would not spoil 

 it or soil it, they have such respect for my fid-fads. If I never 

 have it that way, it is fixed in my head like a beautiful dream, and 

 dwells in my heart, and pays no rent. " Och hone," the beautiful 

 thyme. S. H. 



A Donkey's Taste foe. the Concertina. — I knew musical pleasure experienced 

 by a donkey, whenever a concertina was played. It was discovered by accident, but 

 was utilized by the animal's master. For the donkey was accustomed to browse in 

 a meadow which opened into a coppice, and during the hot weather, probably to 

 avoid the flies, the animal used to wander into this coppice, where, on account of 

 the thickness of the brushwood, it was rather a difficult task to discover him when 

 wanted. Having found that the animal was fond of music, though how the secret 

 was first made known I cannot tell, instead of beginning a long search for him, a 

 concertina was brought out of the house and played, when, in a few minutes, out of 

 the coppice would come the donkey, racing along with tail erect, and braying 

 melodiously meanwhile. lie would then allow himself to be saddled. — Leisure Hour. 



