110 JUNE 



beautiful as when people raved over them, and 

 gave 50 rupees a plant for them at auctions. 

 Croton Broomfeldii is extremely handsome, with 

 very large oblong leaves of a bright yellow, veined 

 with green, thick and leathery. Croton Longi- 

 folium is a lovely shrub with narrow yellow leaves, 

 18 inches long. Croton Jacksonii is very handsome, 

 with its long bunches of twisted and curling fingers 

 of leaves, dark red in colour. Another has narrow 

 green and yellow leaves 2 feet long and crinkled, a 

 lovely drooping variety, the Gloriosus. There are 

 crowds more, all banished to far away corners ; but 

 with the growing blush of new colour, shining with 

 the rain, they are quite dazzling to the eye, and 

 stand mutely protesting against fickle fashion, 

 which cannot value anything that is shared by 

 everybody, and only cares for the last novelty. 

 Now is the time for taking cuttings of them. If I 

 were to grow some in pots with plenty of leaf 

 mould and bone meal, they would be very showy 

 for the " Lean-to," at a time of year when coloured 

 leaves are so valuable. Just now the handsome 

 red single Hibiscus is out, and the curious tasseled 

 one also. They evidently like their new position 



