Stray Leaves from a Border Garden 
Curly Doddy, do ma bidding, 
Soop (sweep) ma hooss an’ shoal (remove) ma widden (confusion) . 
Children further profess to tell what o’clock it is by 
twisting the flower-heads round and letting it recover itself. 
The number of times it twists shows what o’clock it is. 
The Irish version is, I believe. 
Curl Doddy on the midden 
Turn round and do my biddin’. 
There is one Scabious called the Mourning Widow, a 
name which is given in Florence to a little Italian Iris, 
green and black. A decoction of Scabious is said to 
make fat people thin, so might find a place on some toilet- 
tables I daresay. The white Spur-flower (Valerian) is out in 
abundance now, also the red variety, and Godetias. How 
like artificial flowers they look, as if made of satin ! Mine 
have done well this year. Last year they were so pretty ! 
My Summer Hyacinths (Candicans) have been splendid, 
but are now beginning to go over. Lilium speciosum 
roseum is looking beautiful; its rose-spreckled petals are 
simply adorable. 
September 12. — I went to see a beautiful collection of 
Cactus Dahlias in the Manse-garden to-day — crimson, 
lemon, flame-coloured and white. The Minister’s Sweetpeas 
were very pretty. He is a great Gardener. 
September 14.-— Holyrood Day. It is still marked in the 
Prayer-book as Holy Cross Day. In some places I 
believe it was the custom to go a-nutting on Holy Cross 
Day, and any one who omitted to go courted ill-luck, hence 
it was sometimes called Nutcrack Day. Rain yesterday 
and rain again to-day. I do not think it will improve our 
Victoria plums or benefit the tall heavy- flowered Gladiolus. 
I picked a splendid bloom of Lilium Brownii in the kitchen- 
garden yesterday. I do love Lilies, they are some of my 
favourite flowers. I am sure, if I had been an old-time 
Egyptian, I should never have failed to bring Lily-buds to 
deck the shrine of Osiris. 
September 1 7. — I saw such a pretty effect in a cottage- 
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