JUNE 339 



lovely little square, walled garden with beautiful tall 

 iron gates. The beds and paths, edged with stone, were 

 of a simple, formal pattern, which gave great dignity to 

 the weedy little wilderness ; and there were the usual 

 large terracotta pots with strong, well -grown Lemon 

 trees in them, the pride of the Tuscan peasant's heart. 

 The flowers on them scented the air ; the peasants sell 

 the pale fruit at a special price all the summer through 

 in the town, as we sell glass -grown Peaches. I think 

 - that if we tried to grow plants of this sort of Lemon 

 at home in pots or tubs, it would be far better than 

 trying to grow the more delicate Oranges usually seen 

 on terraces in England. I was told I should find it 

 too hot, but I never did once. Indeed, at first I was 

 disappointed ; it was not warm enough. But in Eng- 

 land they had snow early in June. The Irises, the 

 Tulips, all the wild spring flowers were over. I found 

 the fields in places filled with a curious orchidaceous- 

 looking plant which, terrible weed as it was, I thought 

 would look beautiful as a spring pot -plant. It turned 

 out to be a cruel parasitical growth, called Orobanche 

 pruinosa, which grows on the roots of the Broad Beans, 

 destroying whole crops — to the ruin of bad farmers. 

 It also grows on the roots of Geraniums, I am told ; 

 which will be convenient in making it a pot -plant at 

 home. 



My villa pension was surrounded with fine Cypresses 

 of all sizes and ages. I wonder when and how they 

 came to be planted round the houses 1 Some say the 

 peasants from all time have planted one as a kind of 

 dower when a daughter was born in the house. In 

 justification of this, Mr. Loudon says that Pliny tells 

 several extraordinary stories about the durability of the 

 wood, and that the plantations of Cypresses were cut 

 down every thirteen years for poles, rafters, joists, etc.. 



