84 



ALPINE FLOWERS. 



Part I. 



fection — now the Grass makes it difficult to see its leaves, 

 and somewhat obscures the dwarf silky Cudweed, which seems 

 placed to form a silvery bed for the Gentian. Alpine travel- 

 lers, botanists, and horticulturists, say that this lovely plant 

 and its fellows cannot be cultivated, and Dean Close regret- 

 lully echoed this in describing in ' Good Words ' his passage 

 over the Simplon. This idea is quite erroneous, as anybody 

 can prove who carries out the directions given farther on in 

 this book. 



Having arrived at the summit, let us sit down and survey the 

 varied and magnificent prospect around. On one side we have 



Fig. 56. — View of a part of distant range. 



the Jura range, and the wide sunny valley cultivated in every spot 

 below the town of Geneva, and, between the Jura and our position, 

 the lower part of the lake of Geneva, scarcely fluttered by the light 

 breeze, the countless pleasant spots along its famous shores, and 

 issuing from it the blue waters of the Rhone. Below the town it 

 flows for some distance before being joined by the Arve, and 

 from the summit of this mountain both may be seen wending 

 their way to the meeting place— the one a dirty ash ( olour, the 

 other almost a porcelain blue. By turning to the other side, 

 another beautiful and well cultivated valley is seen, and beyond 

 it a round isolated mountain, which from Geneva looked as tall 

 as some of the giant ones, but which now seems a mere Primrose 

 Hill compared with others to be seen from thi's spot, Many 

 green and well-pastured mountains he beyond, with dark clouds 



