A GARDEN DIARY 133 
MarcH 19, 1900 
GOME way back in this diary I was unwise 
enough to inveigh against that ‘pleasant 
herb called Vanity,” especially in its relation to 
gardens. A greater error I now feel there could 
not be, and I am convinced that if we only took 
care to cultivate a sufficient supply of it, it 
would not only be a satisfaction in itself, but 
an immense stimulus to the successful cultivation 
of all other desirable plants. 
This is not, I am aware, the general view. The 
general idea being that the herb in question is a 
mere weed, one that will not only grow every- 
where, and at all seasons, but that grows the most 
luxuriantly upon the poorest soil. Now this is 
certainly not the case. What amount of it is 
grown in other gardens I cannot say, no report 
—or only a very indirect one—being forwarded 
to any of the regular gardening periodicals. 
That there are poor varieties of it I am willing 
to admit, but a really good “strain” is always 
worth securing, if it can be done legitimately, 
