XXII September Sunshine 



DURING a spell of warm and cloudless weather in 

 September, the garden is filled with a sense of the 

 dominance of sunshine such as only recurs in the 

 round of the English seasons at the period of the 

 other equinox, in a brilliant March. From the time 

 when the trees begin to bud in April up to the end 

 of August, the stir and business of all forms of 

 natural life are so intense that their activity 

 inevitably distracts the attention from the under- 

 lying wealth of sunshine which quickens their birth ; 

 and in spring and summer we can hardly take note 

 of the sun's out-poured warmth as a primary 

 element in the landscape. But in September the 

 touch of chill in the mornings that gives back 

 the garden robins their song puts a sense of 

 pause and rest upon the whole course of the 

 year ; and the profusion of golden sunshine be- 

 comes the most conspicuous display of nature's 

 power. 



It fills the spaces of the flower-bordered lawns 

 with a warm glow, touched with a rich and hazy 

 opaqueness, which is even richer and deeper than 

 the strong colours of the September blossoms. In 

 the earlier season of brilliant equinoctial weather, 

 the soil is still almost naked of new spring growth, 



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