SEPTEMBER 25 



that they are now rather scarce. As an example of how 

 small a thing will affect the flowering of Cape bulbs, I 

 noted this spring that the leaves in the more northern 

 part of my little bed got injured by frost and east wind 

 — not very severely, but slightly — and out of that dozen 

 bulbs only one flowered. 



A favourite little plant of mine, which I have had for 

 years, has flowered unusually well this year. It is called 

 Tricyrtis hirta, and is a small Japanese LUy — very quiet 

 in colour, and spotted all over with lilac spots, but beau- 

 tiful in its growth, and well worth cultivating. The dry 

 rockwork seems to suit it, but I generally water it when 

 coming into flower. Every year, as it comes round, it 

 is a pleasurable excitement to see it develop its late 

 flowers. In a book by Mrs. Brightwen ('Glimpses into 

 Plant Life: an Easy Guide to the Study of Botany,' 

 Fisher Unwin) , it is alluded to as a typical poUenation 

 plant. She says: 'We have seen that there are all kinds 

 of devices by which the pollen of one flower may be made 

 sure to reach the stigma of another; but if by any means 

 this crossing fails, if the weather is such that insects are 

 scarce or other conditions cause failure, then, in the case 

 of many flowers, most curious contrivances are provided 

 to secure seed by self -poUenation. Truly, this is one of 

 the most beautiful of God's wonders in floral construc- 

 tion. One of the gems of my own flower-garden is a 

 lovely little Japanese toad -lily {Tricyrtis hirta) . In this 

 flower there are three styles, which stand well above the 

 stamens; the points of the styles are bent over, and the 

 stigmatic surface grows mature before the anthers shed 

 their pollen. If, however, no insect visits the flowers, 

 poUenation is effected in the following way : The styles 

 bend down and place their forked points in dii-eet con- 

 tact with the open anther -lobes, the style assuming 

 almost the form of a semicircle. This is done very 



