READY FOR BULB-PLANTING ^45 
“I know his ways,’’ she answered. 
Yet the day was not cold. There was merely 
the same little bite in the air that the frost left when 
passing away in late April. The mist hanging over 
things now keeps us from seeing their outlines 
sharply, and in this September reminds me again 
of the early spring. 
Joseph has ordered the bulbs that he intends to 
plant between now and the time when the ground 
freezes too hard to make such work possible. He 
has also bought twelve white peony roots, in order 
that the bed of peonies we have dreamed about 
may become a reality. Four double pink ones, as 
well, are to be set in the triangle proper. The 
large bed for the peonies has been prepared by 
Timothy in the usual way, since we wish to give 
them every chance to flourish next spring. At least 
a foot and a half of the soil has been dug over and 
a layer of well-rotted manure been put at the bot- 
tom of the bed. We have remembered that 
peonies like full sunlight. 
Already Joseph has planted a hundred Spanish 
irises, all supposed to have yellow flowers next 
season; he also has set out fifty English irises, 
named Mont Blanc, perhaps because they are so 
white. These he expects to bloom after the Span- 
ish ones have faded. If these plants do half as 
well as Joseph anticipates, we shall have a wonder- 
ful showing of irises next spring, and for very 
little money. The hundred Spanish irises cost but 
