68 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 22, 1880. 
the chief awards. The cottagers’ productions were abundant and of 
good quality. 
STENACTIS SPECIOSA. 
Many hardy herbaceous plants have recently been recommended 
as worthy of cultivation, and it is a little singular that the one 
under notice has been apparently overlooked. It is a good old 
border plant, free and distinct, and once established needs little 
attention. We recently found it flowering in good condition in 
the kitchen garden at Southill Park, Bedfordshire, the seat of 
Samuel Whitbread, Esq., M.P., and were informed by the excellent 
gardener (Mr. Landers) that it is much esteemed for vase 
Fig. 16 .—Stenactis srEcrosA. 
decoration. It grows freely in any ordinary garden soil. The 
colour of the flowers is bluish purple, and the height of the plant 
about 3 feet. It is readily increased by division, also by seeds, 
which if sown early produce flowering plants the same year. The 
engraving represents a spray from the plant above referred to. 
GARDENS ON ST. SWITHIN’S DAY. 
Gardens begin to look sad and sodden. Most seeds have 
germinated fairly. A little more sunshine, a little less rain, and 
a higher temperature than we have enjoyed in June for two or 
three seasons have done much to encourage Nature. The fields are 
now full of promise without, and beds and borders looked clean 
and hopeful. Small fruits were never more abundant. Straw¬ 
berries are profuse and well flavoured. Caterpillars are commit¬ 
ting terrible havoc amongst the Gooseberries and Currant trees, and 
the greater part of the extraordinarily luxuriant crops cannot 
come to perfection in some places from loss of leaves. Plums are 
a variable crop; Apples also ; Pears generally a failure ; also 
Apricots and Peaches. The rainfall of the last two days has been 
