AMONG THE FLOWERS WITH REXFORD 



165 



Tiety of moonflower, white, with a delicate 

 blue star oiitliued in the blossom. All 

 these vines throve, and made a very charm- 

 ino; contrast. In addition to these I had 

 several very handsome plants of the cox- 

 <?omb family, some with purple spikes and 

 foliage, others growing in long, graceful 

 Taceme^s, some in pretty, attractive heads, 

 ^nd still others in elongated plumes. 

 These came in a packet of mixed seeds. 

 My red and pink nasturtiums were espe- 

 •cially fine, as were also my sweet peas. In 

 the vegetable line I attempted peas, to- 

 matoes, cabbages and lettuce. Only the 

 iomatoes and lettuce amounted to any- 

 thing. A small green worm made sad 

 havoc with my two cabbage plants while 

 I was away from home for three weeks, 

 and the peas did not come to anything at 

 ^ill. We enjoyed the lettuco, however ; and 

 the tomatoes are developing finely at this 

 writing (October 16). I put horse ma- 

 nure around the tomatoes, and we will use 

 them as green pickles if they do not ripen 



before severe frost.'' 



* * * 



Here is a delightfully tantalizing letter 

 from the land of roses and sunshine. I 

 feel sure that all our readers will unite 

 with me in thanking Jeannette Campbell 

 (San Jose, California) for it, and tender 

 her a most hearty invitation to come again, 

 and often: 



ROSES IX THE LA^-D OF SUN"SHIN"E. 



^'In this land of flowers and almost 

 perpetual sunshine there seems at first ac- 

 <3uaintance but little to mark the changes 

 of the seasons, as they are known to dwell- 

 ers in the eastern ?nd middle states. Two 

 seasons only stand out markedly, charac- 

 ferized by iBret Harte as ^Half a year of 

 clouds and flowers, half a yea-r of dust 

 and skv.' This, however, is a generaliza- 

 tion, for the clouds are fleeting, and the 

 blue, blue sky looks down on vast green 

 forests and laden orchards all through the 

 Tainlees, dustv months. But aside from 

 wet and dry, spring, summer, fall and 

 winter have their characteristic features, 

 and the California garden revels in the de- 

 lights of seasonable gowns, quite as vainly 

 and with more prodigality than her East- 

 ern sister. Her predilection, however, is 

 for a green garb during the entire year — 

 an apparent monotony of taste, atoned for 

 by endless variety m shade and texture, 

 and an Oriental wealth of jewel-broidered 

 garniture. 



"Through the long summer months she 

 has been resplendent in the m3a'iad hues 

 of pomegranate and passion-flower, gera- 

 nium and fuchsia, clematis and jessamine, 

 lobelia, amaryllis, plumbago and oleander 

 — to say nothing of multitudinous other 

 summer beauties — till now it is late Sep- 

 tember and she notes the pause of the 

 sea breeze, and knows it is time the au- 

 tumnal gowning should be looked to. 



"Here and. there, too, a yellow leaf lies 

 like a bit of deeper sunshine on the walks, 

 each one a silent little herald announcing 

 the yearly carnival of color. The pageant 

 will mbve — augmenting as it goes — down 

 the long w^ooded slopes of the Sierras, and 

 across the broad wheat-growing valleys of 

 the interior, till, with final pomp and 

 flourish, it attaches to itself the orchards 

 and gardens of the coast, and our ^Lady 

 of the Green' will appear some morning 

 in full carnival array — rosy from her first 

 autumnal shower bath — ^her shimmering 

 emerald gown ablaze with the ruby of ivy 

 and ^burning-bush,^ the amethyst of aster 

 and violet, the soft pearl of the anemone 

 and the gorgeous topaz of goldenrod, to- 

 gether with numerous lingering jewels 

 from the summer's store and the thousand 

 and one opaline hues of cosmos and chrys- 

 anthemum, all blended and woven to- 

 gether in a lace-like filigree of gold leaf. 

 This regal garniture she will wear till the 

 south winds pour their rains upon her 

 pampas plumes, and the yellow leaves lie 

 in brown heaps on the sodden walks — but 

 still she will keep her green gown, and 

 console herself with holly and laurestinus 

 and the never-fading beauty of carnation 

 and Marguerite, lily and rose." 



ON THE EDITOR'S TABLE 



