JANUARY, 1899 



Difficulties of growing Daphne indica — Journey last year to Ireland 

 — Cutting down and re-planting trees — Apples — Skimmed milk 

 — Manure heaps — Winter Honeysuckle — Botanical Grardens in 

 Dublin — Botticelli's drawings — Tissot's Bible — Rippingille's 

 patent stove— Blue flowers — ' Snowdrop-time ' — ' The Sun-chil- 

 dren's Budget' — Floral notes from 'The Scotsman'— Receipts. 



January 5th. — After a white frost in the morning, 

 we have had a day which, except for its shortness, we 

 should be satisfied with and think beautiful in early 

 spring. These mild, sunny winter days do great harm 

 in prematurely forcing growth, but I know few things 

 which it would be more dif&cult to wish non-existent. 

 They make up to me for so many of our winter trials — 

 fog and cold and darkness. I would not change them 

 for the 'sunny south,' where sunshine is a right, while 

 here it comes as a most gracious gift — all the more 

 appreciated because it appears unexpectedly and lasts 

 such a short time. 



I have a plant of Daphne indica, one of my favourite 

 winter flowers, in my greenhouse now. It is in flower 

 and smelling delieiously, but does not look at all satis- 

 factory, although it was only bought last year. It was 

 put out of doors last summer, as it ought to be, but was 

 allowed to get dry. It made no growth ; it is leggy, 

 drawn up, and the leaves are yellow, which, with hard- 

 wooded plants, generally means over-watering in winter. 

 I have tried for years to grow these Daphnes, but they 

 are difflcult to strike, difficult to grow, and have a quite 

 extraordinary love of dying without any very obvious 



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