244 GARDEN HARVEST 



what a busy, happy morning it is, when with a 

 large knife and long swinging movement, re- 

 sembling in miniature the rhythmic sweep of the 

 reaper with his scythe, the tall purple spikes are 

 laid in thick bunches, ready to be used for the 

 linen-chest ! During many weeks that follow a 

 welcoming warm scent meets one at the front 

 door and the first exclamation of each visitor is 

 " How delicious the house smells ! " 



About the same time, when all our grand pri- 

 vate customers have flown to Scotland and require 

 no supplies, the garden is gay with large plots of 

 market-beds that are ready to give cut flowers for 

 Bank Holiday trippers in seaside towns. They 

 have to be catered for quite differently from the 

 high-class visitor, who cares only for such perfec- 

 tion as is to be found in the carnation, that greatly- 

 loved favourite of the soldier Conde. The Lon- 

 don business man is much less difficult to please 

 when he stays away for August holidays, so that 

 Achillea, " the Pearl," cornflowers of dazzling 

 blue, sweet-peas and scabious are his choice, and 

 these we send him in plenty. 



This year we hesitated about growing corn- 

 flowers, knowing that they were the Kaiser's 

 favourite, and punishment overtook us for allow- 

 ing them a place in the garden, because they had 

 a very bad attack of " rust," to which they had 

 never been subject before, and superstition attri- 

 butes this to their being allies of our enemy. 



Picking and packing is an arduous occupation 

 throughout these summer days, for it has to be 

 done in the cool, so that sometimes there are busy 



