never exposes his leaves to the remotest risk of 

 night frost in spring, and sheds them before his 

 neighbors evince any fear of the chills of autumn. 

 A short time ago it looked as if the ash would 

 come out before the oak ; but our sturdy and " an- 

 cient friend " has caught him up and, covered 

 with fresh amber-green foliage, has left him far 

 behind and only just beginning to put out his 

 little flower-tufts. If old country sayings are to 

 be relied upon, we shall have a dry summer, as 

 we have certainly had a dry April. 



When the oak's before the ash 

 There will be a little splash ; 

 When the ash before the oak 

 There will be a heavy soak. 



The pink flowering currant and the yellow ber- 

 beris have been coloring the shrubberies and a 

 mauve pink rhododendron is gay with profuse 

 bloom. 



On the 1 8th of April I found that a large Gloire 



de Dijon, or " Glor de Dye John," as I frequently 



hear it called, on the south wall of the house, not 



only had a number of well-developed buds upon it, 



116 



