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PREPARING FOR SPRING 



Where the Sedges wilt and wither, exposing the hard, 

 frozen earth, and where the leaves have been soaked 

 with the rain or carried away by the searching winds, 

 the elaborate preparations for a new season are freely 

 revealed. The Wintergreen pays no attention to the 

 penetrating frosts that congeal the moist earth about 

 its roots and solidify the lingering foliage of many 

 of its forest neighbours. Its scarlet and green, its 

 mild flavour and pleasant aroma remain as in summer. 

 But in the open spaces the artistic rosettes of fresh 

 leaves show a thoughtful regard for the coming season 

 of repose. The Evening Primrose spreads a most 

 handsome circle of pale green leaves, in no way 

 suggesting the tall, irregularly podded stalk and 

 perfumed yellow flowers of summer. The slender- 

 waisted and pointed leaves radiate from the deep, 

 fleshy root, making a circle sometimes a foot in 

 diameter. Each circle of leaves grows regularly 

 shorter, and there is a cluster of points in the centre > 

 the whole rosette lying flat and even on the ground, 

 prepared to sleep under the white coverlet till spring. 

 These recumbent circles of pointed leaves are among 

 the most decorative preparations for the season to 



