"THE LEAFY MONTH OF JUNE" 



when there is no chance of human interruption. 

 On the road a farm-wagon may overtake us at 

 any moment, and we feel that, to the bovine mind, 

 even the foolish occupation of picking flowers 

 seems more intelligent than the abandonment of 

 one's self to joy in the blue of the sky or in the 

 breath of summer. 



Among the shrubs which flower in June, the vi- 

 burnums and the dogwoods are noticeable. The Vibur- 

 somewhat flat flower-clusters of the viburnums arc ^1 

 made up of small, white, five-lobed blossoms, the 

 little flowers of the superficially similar dogwoods 

 consisting of four petals. The leaves of most of 

 the viburnums are more or less conspicuously 

 toothed, while those of the dogwoods are entire. 

 The withe-rod, V. cassinoides, a shrub which I 

 find growing abundantly along the coast and in 

 the woods of northern New England, is an ex- 

 ception to this rule, its thick, smooth, ovate or 

 oblong leaves being toothed only very little or 

 not at all. 



Along grassy lanes the wild-grape swings its 

 graceful festoons. The air is heavy with the sweet Climbing 

 breath of its greenish flowers. Near by twist the ^^ 

 prickly stems, shining ornamental leaves, and 

 greenish blossoms of the cat-brier. The carrion- 

 vine, too, sends forth its delicate young shoots, 

 but the foul odor of its dull, clustered blossoms, 



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