CHAPTER IX 



Abundance of flowers — Bedding out — Asters — Fruits and seeds 

 — Apparent waste of seed. 



The summer having been especially favourable to 

 growth, with rain at intervals in abundance, but also 

 with a very fair amount of bright sunshine, the result 

 is a September quite remarkable for the rich, fresh 

 green of the whole country, especially of the gardens, 

 and for an abundance of vigorous plant-life. We have 

 lost or put aside the old English word ' foison,' which 

 even in Shakespeare's time was passing away, and it 

 woidd be useless aflfectation to attempt to revive it; 

 yet we really have no word which exactly expresses 

 the same idea — the idea of luxuriant growth in tree 

 and herb and flower, and restricted to vegetable 

 growth, almost the same as the Latin iiber, though not 

 exactly, for uher is sometimes applied to other kinds of 

 plenty ; but Shakespeare's ' Earth's increase, foison 



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