58 EVERSLEY GARDENS 



the improvement on their first essay of the 

 previous year. Twenty-three boys and girls 

 competed ; and when I distributed the bulbs 

 a Hyacinth and two Daffodils to each I 

 gave them exact instructions, which they re- 

 peated viva voce, as to how to pot and treat 

 them. The children were on their honour 

 not to receive any help at home ; and loyally 

 did they abide by the conditions. After the 

 Christmas holidays the pots were brought up 

 to the school and placed in the class-room 

 windows, each child watering and tending 

 their own ; and better grown flowers I have 

 seldom seen. The only difficulty was how 

 to choose the prize-winners. 



Last but not least among Spring bulbs, 

 prolonging bulb time into Poeony and Rose 

 time, and giving us finely decorative flowers 

 just at a moment we need them, come the 

 May-flowering Tulips. The old " Cottage 

 Tulips " of our childhood have been wonder- 

 fully developed of late years. And now, 

 besides the common violet-crimson, which 

 used to grow so freely in the Rectory garden, 



