NOVEMBER 183 



Beautiful as they are, we do not often 

 gather them for the house, for when 

 parted from their own dark foliage, 

 Christmas roses lose always a part of 

 their life and spirit ; and yet the leaves 

 look too coarse when cut, and besides 

 being difficult to arrange, to cut them off 

 from the plant will often seriously wound 

 it. I have tried to arrange with them 

 sprays of flexiosa honeysuckle embrowned 

 with winter, but nothing really answers. 

 Chrysanthemums on the other hand, seem 

 made for 'decking up the house' just 

 now ! They are brilliant in white and 

 yellow and chocolate brown and all the 

 indescribable tints we know and love so 

 well. But our dear Christmas roses are 

 best left among the dead leaves, growing 

 in the earth where they love to be, and 

 there they gladden our eyes with un- 

 looked - for joy, when summer's flight 

 makes the heart sad. The purple coloured 

 and green Hellebores that were sent us 

 from the north, hardly do their best 

 here. They are budding well, but 

 they are rather unwilling denizens, and 



