FLORAL CATALOGUES 



17 



catalogues, but then T should not need 

 them there. Flowers would be everywhere, 

 without the trouble of selecting from, cata- 

 logues. I was so fortunate as to find a 

 home in a well-established place with 

 abundance of flowers, shrubs, and a large 

 variety of Eoses. But ere long I began to 

 realize that my ideas of flowers in Cali- 

 fornia, like my ideas of many other things, 

 did not exactly correspond with the reality, 

 and that nothing in this world worth hav- 

 ing is to be had without trouble and 

 exertion. 



One of my first friends in this new land 

 was my new neighbor, Mrs. Lawson, and 

 a surprise was in store for me when I 

 noticed on her table a stack of floral cata- 

 logues. There were all my old favorites 

 that I thought I had left behind. 



This lady is a partial invalid, and crip- 

 pled with rheumatism, which necessitates 

 her being a home-keeper, and catalogues 

 were the solace of many weary hours. The 

 particular work she was interested in was 

 transplanting natives of the East to her 

 garden. Her favorite catalogues were 

 those which made a specialty of native 

 plants. Native to a distant state with 

 utterly different soil and climate. But 

 this did not daunt her, she was as eager 

 and earnest to transplant the flowers that 

 clothe our Eastern woods and hillsides to 

 her California garden as I had been to 

 adapt the California flora to the East. I 

 had watched her planting Trillium, Jack- 

 in-the-Pulpit, and, dreaming of the dense 

 shade of our August woods, the Cardinal 

 flower; but when she proposed sending for 

 Trailing Arbutus, I protested. As well 



might she bring the dew of a New England 

 hillside or the scent of her spring morn- 

 ings, as to a^sk our shy, modest May flower, 

 which loves to creep out from the disap- 

 pearing snow, to flourish in the California 

 sunshine. 



Not content with La France Roses and 

 other plants which fairly reveled in this 

 glorious sunshine, she at one time seriously 

 meditated planting the entire plot with a 

 collection of Rhododendrons ! 



Mrs. Lawson, although her grounds 

 were small, even went so far as to study 

 the fruit catalogues, at which I had always 

 drawn the line. The new dwarf fruit trees 

 seemed to be fitted to the size of her place ; 

 all available space was to be made use of, 

 and there was always some corner un- 

 occupied when a particularly tempting 

 apple tree laden with enormous fruit was 

 illustrated. 



* * * * 



I have just returned from a call on my 

 neighbor. It seems she has been planning 

 a visit to Oregon, ostensibly to visit an 

 aunt, but secretly to make large collections 

 from the native flora. She had adroitly 

 planned the trip at the time of her hus- 

 band's vacation, but he, poor man, rose up 

 in his wrath. "I am willing,'' he said, 

 "for you to transport all the state of 

 Oregon will allow you to take away, if it 

 can be done through catalogues, but when 

 it comes to my traipsing" — I think he for- 

 got my presence, and his words shall go no 

 farther. 



Verily, the catalogue hath its use ! 

 8a'n Jose, California, 



