Midsummer to Michaelmas 
Rowans can also be made into a jelly by themselves, to be 
eaten with venison. Very few people, however, like this 
jelly, as it has a peculiar, rather bitter flavour, though a 
lovely crimson colour. Here is a good recipe which may 
be useful some day. “ Rowan-jelly : Take i quart of good 
sound Berries, of a good colour ; to these add i Pint Fresh 
Water. Boil the Water, and crush the Berries with a 
Wooden Spoon for Choice, for Half an Hour, Strain off 
carefully, pressing out every drop of Juice. To each Pint 
allow i lb. best Sugar (of the cane), and the Juice of two 
Good Lemons, Boil the Jelly, and stir without stopping, till 
a Drop or two, tried on a Cold Plate, congeals at once. 
Then Pour into Gallypots, which must be first Warmed. 
Cover over, and store in a Cool Dry aumrie.” 
On the moors I have heard that a Pickle is sometimes 
made of Rowans, and they are also used to decorate dishes 
in winter time. In Iceland it is said, if an innocent 
person be wrongfully put to death, a Rowan will spring 
from his grave. The word Rowan or Roun is said to come 
from the Danish Roun, or Swedish Runn , and the Icelandic 
is Run ; Norse Runa> a charm, as it is supposed to keep 
off evil. 
September 9. — The Browallia, or American Forget-me-not, 
is out now in the border, both blue and white. It is not a 
very common flower, I think, but is pretty with its dark 
green leaves and bright blue flowers ; I don’t care so much 
for the white variety. The Gladiolus are in great beauty, 
splendid pink and scarlet spires ; Sword-lilies they are 
sometimes called here. The Sweetpeas, too, are lovely, but 
in some gardens almost over. A good recipe for keeping 
Sweetpeas in bloom late is to nip off any dead flowers at 
once, not to allow them to form seed-pods. 
September n. — The Asters and Stocks are very pretty 
still, and many different-coloured Scabious. I used not to 
be fond of these flowers, but in the Scotch autumn they are 
of great value for flower-vases. Scabious are delightfully 
called here “Curly doddies,” I suppose from a fancied resem- 
blance to a laddie’s curly pow. The children have a little song 
225 p 
