My Garden in Spring 



They are followed by fleshy capsules of a dull purple, 

 not beautiful, but of great and exciting interest, for when 

 the seeds are ripe enough to go out into the world the 

 walls of these capsules become tensely turgid and the two 

 valves press inward on each other very powerfully, so that 

 a slight shock or touch at the summit causes them to split, 

 and each valve to curl inwards with such force that 

 the two enclosed seeds are shot out to a considerable 

 distance. I greatly enjoyed taking some examples of ripe 

 capsules up to one of the meetings of the Scientific 

 Committee of the R.H.S., and as they were new to the 

 members present, aided by my position as acting chair- 

 man at the head of the long table, while I was describing 

 the mechanism I gave them a pinch, and startled the 

 members at the other end of the table by the sudden 

 impact of several Lathraea seeds. At the right season I 

 can always get some amusement by inducing a visitor to 

 press a bunch of ripe capsules and noting how high he 

 jumps when the seeds fly into his face, and after this 

 initiation we aim over the pond with other capsules to see 

 what distance we can shoot the seeds into the tell-tale 

 water. This season a self-sown plant has appeared in the 

 grassy bank of the pond, perhaps the result of one of 

 these contests. 



I have sown our native Lathraea Squamaria on Hazel 

 roots several times, but have not yet seen it above-ground. 

 Experience with its more showy relation preaches hope 

 and patience, so I still look for its appearance, but shall 

 continue to sow seeds or plant clumps whenever I can 

 get them. 



The list of earliest arrivals cannot be closed without 

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