110 THE CHEONICLES OF A GARDEIS'. 



middle or end of August, from seeds sown about the middle 

 or end of September, provided the plants are not allowed 

 to ripen any seeds. . . . Silene ijendula, S. compacta, and 

 S. Schafta, are the best of the catchflies, and are always 

 best from autumn sowing. The Virginian stock flowers in 

 April, if sown in autumn, and all the varieties of the 

 branching larkspur, will bloom most part of the summer, 

 if sown early in September."* This long extract gives not 

 only advice for the work to be done at the season of which 

 we are now writing, but it suggests plans for spring and 

 summer planting, carrying our minds forward to those 

 brighter seasons, and so allaying the regret we feel as, week 

 by week, we see our flowers fading away !— 



" Autumnal leaves and flowei'ets ! lingering last — 

 Pale, sickly children of the waning year ! 

 A lovelier race shall yet succeed ye here, 

 When nature, (her long wintry torpor past,) 

 O'er the brown woods and naked earth doth cast 

 Her vernal mantle." 



Another hopeful autumn labour is the planting bulbs for 

 spring flowering. Early in October this work should be 

 commenced, for the weather soon begins to get unsettled ; 

 wet days prevent amateur gardening, and so it is wise to 

 take the early part of the month for planting crocuses, 

 snowdrops, scillas, late and early tulips, and, if we like to 

 risk the winter, ranunculuses and double anemones. These 

 last are, however, better deferred till February, as a severe 

 winter kills them, if a wet autumn has set them a-growing, 

 * Cottage Gardener, vol. viii., p. 355. 



