OCTOBER 181 



instrument for pruning, called the ' Myticuttah.' There 

 are some with long handles and some with short ; they 

 cut through quite big branches like butter, and are really 

 indispensable. The work is not too tiring for any woman 

 to do herself, and everyone should have a strong pair of 

 French nippers as well, for cutting back smaller shrubs 

 and plants. One is always seeing in catalogues that this 

 plant or that will do for the borders of shrubberies. My 

 experience is that no summer herbaceous plants do in the 

 borders of shrubberies at all, though spring and autumn 

 things may do fairly well ; and many of the smaller shrubs, 

 like Lavender Cotton, Bosemary, and Brooms of sorts, 

 will hold their own in front of larger shrubs. 



October 4/&. The Nerines (see Johnson's ' Gardener's 

 Dictionary ') have flowered well and been charming this 

 year. N. Fothergillii is the finest colour, but all are 

 most useful autumn bulbs, and last a long time in water. 

 They are easy to manage, and, like many Cape bulbs, flower 

 before the leaves are produced. During the growing of 

 the leaves they must be carefully attended to and 

 watered ; and even, now and then, a small dose of liquid 

 manure does them good. They are best not re-potted, 

 except very rarely ; and as the leaves die down they must 

 be laid on their sides and dried and well baked in the 

 sun, just like the Freezias, only not shaken out and 

 re-potted, as recommended for them. The bulbs, too, 

 should be planted, like Vallotas or Hyacinths, well on the 

 top of the pot. I never can understand why these very 

 ornamental bulbs are not grown in larger quantities 

 especially as they increase and improve, instead of being 

 almost useless, as is the case with the spring bulbs after 

 forcing. 



A Cape family of small, very sweet-smelling shrubs 

 called Diosma (see Johnson's ' Gardener's Dictionary ') are 

 well worth growing ; in fact, no greenhouse ought to be 





