WILD AND CULTIVATED FLOWERS 11 o 
the older ones have long, thick roots, which make 
the success of transplanting them somewhat doubt- 
ful. That day they brought about twenty colum- 
bines to the wood-border. If next year we get 
twenty more, and those that we have sow a few 
seeds, we shall have a colony as enchanting as the 
one Mr. Percy told us about. The columbines 
there have not been disturbed for years, he says, 
and they are now a sight for a king. 
Another wild flower that we have transplanted 
is called false Solomon’s-seal, or wild spikenard. It 
blooms in the woods at the same time as the colum- 
bine. Its stalk is long, with large leaves coming 
out from it on either side, and at the very end there 
is a great, pointed bunch holding myriads of fine, 
sweet-smelling white flowers. The stalk of false 
Solomon’s-seal always leans over a little, instead 
of standing up straight. 
We have planted it where the wood-border slopes 
slightly, so that it now appears as though leaning 
over towards the bank. Here, Mr. Percy says, it 
will be very beautiful when once it is well estab- 
lished. It will, moreover, need no further care. 
This reminds me of another difference between 
wild and cultivated flowers which neither Joseph 
nor I can understand. The wild ones are visited 
by bugs and beetles and insects of many kinds, 
which harm them but slightly. In a garden, how- 
ever, these insects become pests, biting and molest- 
ing the plants, and greatly interfering with the hap- 
