XI. 

 IN AND OUT OF THE GARDEN. 



MUCH-NEEDED rain has come at 

 last a steady, drenching, searching 

 rain ; a freshening, quickening, revivi- 

 fying rain a ram that has oozed down to the bot- 

 tom, that has loosened the soil and cleansed the 

 foliage, and sought out every root and rootlet 

 beneath the ground. Light showers are of little 

 service in time of drought ; they are like the 

 efforts of the garden-hose, and have no lasting 

 effect. The colors of the flowers have come out 

 with renewed intensity, and there is a marked 

 increase in the luster of the foliage. The lark- 

 spurs are as brilliantly blue as the sky above 

 them, and the scarlet lychnis (L. chalcedomcd) 

 burns as intensely as the setting sun. This is 

 one of the most dazzling summer ^flowers ; a 

 single bloom of it, when well grown, will show 

 its color to advantage. It is one of those peren- 



