NOVEMBER 221 



Louise. Christmas roses also in frames are 

 doing well. Primulas, zonal pelargoniums, fibrous- 

 rooted begonias, Roman hyacinths, and paper- white 

 and double Roman narcissi are among the flowering 

 plants under glass. Everything looks healthy, and 

 there is a great promise of blossom for days even 

 darker than November. 



" The blackest month of all the year 

 Is the month of Janniveer," 



and for " Janniveer " I time my best show, that 

 it may cheer us in the gloomy season when winter 

 holds us tight in his grip, and spring seems a 

 happiness very far off. 



November is the favourite month of Sterculus. 

 He calls it not November, but "dungin' time," and 

 counts all his garden operations from it, as well as 

 his domestic episodes. " I lost my Cousin Jemps 

 a twelvemonth ago last dungin' time," he will tell 

 you, or, " I allus begins to strike my gerzanthums 

 d'reckly after dungin' time." " Loffly stuff!" he 

 says meditatively, looking at some special mixture, 

 " it's a pleasure to get your 'ands into it." It is 

 a pleasure, however, that he is forced to enjoy all 

 by himself, as I cannot raise much enthusiasm over 

 that part of the gardening work. 



November is not the most busy of months in the 

 garden, but I do not know any month in which the 

 gardener can with impunity be idle. This is the 

 best time to sow sweet peas for next summer's 

 enjoyment, and the only drawback to the practice 

 is the habit of mice to eat the seeds or ever they 

 germinate. But mice are the garden pests which 

 are the most easily circumvented. We soak the 



