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the Himalayan species, I have three times failed 

 to raise from seed ; it is said to be a most ca- 

 pricious plant either the seed is nearly always 

 bad, or conditions are not favorable for germina- 

 tion more than once in two or three years. 



Like all of its tribe, the Iceland poppy revels 

 in sunshine, thriving best in sandy soil. All its 

 forms are delicately beautiful, the yellow, white, 

 orange-scarlet, and, rarest of all, a color I can 

 only describe by comparing it to the plumage of 

 the scarlet tanager. This is the only one of its 

 species I know of which has a pleasant perfume. 

 It is easily raised, and seed should be sown out 

 of doors in August, or plants left to seed them- 

 selves. Occasionally among seedlings a semi- 

 double form will occur, and also a very beauti- 

 ful dwarf form, more frequently white than yel- 

 low, with short, stiff stems often bearing fifteen 

 to twenty flower-cups within a diameter of five 

 inches. A cream-colored semi-double form, with 

 larger flowers than the type, is also very beauti- 

 ful. I sow seeds of the white and orange-scar- 

 let forms only ; but of the latter the greater part 

 come yellow. Though perfectly hardy, it is well 

 to treat it as an annual, and thus always keep up 

 a good supply of young plants to fill spaces made 

 vacant by the daffodils when they die down, or 

 to group freely in the borders. P. umbrosum, 

 9 



