SUMMER DAYS 45 



his June fodder but must needs feast upon the 

 Japanese irises of July. Fortunately he is big 

 enough to handle very conveniently between the 

 thumb and forefinger. Pick him thus from the 

 rose or iris and drop him into a wide-mouthed 

 pickle bottle partly filled with kerosene oil. If you 

 object to touching this creature, which has a special 

 hankering after white blossoms, poke him into the 

 bottle with a little stick; the end, not the means, 

 is the important thing. Gather up the rose bugs 

 every morning. Once in a while empty the bottle 

 on the ground and touch a match to the mixture 

 of dead bugs and oil. 



Snipping, of which the summer brings a great 

 deal, begins in June if May has not been a re- 

 minder of earlier needs. This is snipping with 

 scissors and the objects are two neatness and pro- 

 longation of the blooming period. As soon as a 

 flower fades, if no seed is wanted, snip \\ off, with 

 its individual stem. Then the plant retains its 

 attractiveness. And it is astonishing how much 

 difference this little thing makes, especially with 

 such flowers as the rose, iris and peony. The later 

 blossoms not only have more room for expansion 

 but benefit by strength that otherwise would go 

 into the development of seed. 



Pansies planted in a partially shaded place and 

 treated in this way will bloom quite freely into 

 August and sparsely until winter. Canterbury bells 

 and some of the other bellflowers, whose beauty 

 is serious, marred by the brown of even a few 



