AN ISLAND GARDEN 15 



When the snow is still blowing against the 

 window-pane in January and February, and the 

 wild winds are howling without, what pleasure it 

 is to plan for summer that is to be ! Small shal- 

 low wooden boxes are ready, filled with mellow 

 earth (of which I am always careful to lay in a 

 supply before the ground freezes in the autumn), 

 sifted and made damp ; into it the precious seeds 

 are dropped with a loving hand. The Pansy 

 seeds lie like grains of gold on the dark soil. I 

 think as I look at them of the splendors of impe- 

 rial purples folded within them, of their gold and 

 blue and bronze, of all the myriad combinations 

 of superb color in their rich velvets. Each one of 

 these small golden grains means such a wealth 

 of beauty and delight ! Then the thin flake-like 

 brown seeds of the annual Stocks or Gillyflowers ; 

 one little square of paper holds the white Princess 

 Alice variety, so many thick double spikes of 

 fragrant snow lie hidden in each thin dry flake ! 

 Another paper holds the pale rose-color, another 

 the delicate lilacs, or deep purples, or shrimp 

 pinks, or vivid crimsons, all are dropped on the 

 earth, lightly covered, gently pressed down ; then 

 sprinkled and set in a warm place, they are left to 

 germinate. Next I come to the single Dahlia 

 seeds, rough, dry, misshapen husks, that, being 

 planted thus early, will blossom by the last of 

 June, unfolding their large rich stars in great 

 abundance till frost. They blossom in every 

 variety of color except blue; all shades of red 

 from faint rose to black maroon, and all are gold- 

 centred. They are every shade of yellow from 



