JUNE 69 



colour than I remember it before; so I suppose the 

 drought and bright sunshine suit it well. /. aurea 

 did fairly well, but instead of the flower-stems being 

 over five feet high, as they often are in other seasons, 

 they were not above a yard in height, But I do not 

 think the drought will ever seriously injure the irises ; 

 by their premature flowering, and their small flowers 

 which soon pass away, a very small tax is laid upon 

 their vital powers, and they will probably be enabled 

 to lay up a good store of strength for futiu"e years. 



Of roses and lilies I cannot say much.^ But there 

 is no finality about roses ; and when we remember the 

 large number of books which have been written on 

 them, and which every year adds to, I may plead that 

 the subject is not exhausted. I have lately learned 

 an additional excellence in the Banksia rose, which 

 I had not noted before, that it lasts in flower longer 

 than any other rose, except the monthly roses. I 

 picked a good bunch on April 2nd ; and on June 

 3rd there were still good bunches on the trees, though 

 beginning to fade. I have also learned that the 

 Himalayan E. polyantha, which is like a fountain of 

 flowers, has a really unpleasant scent at times; so 



i See the chapters on 'Roses' and ' Lilies,' in Part II. Much of 

 this June record was peculiar to the excellent summer of 1893, and 

 I have abridged it accordingly. 



