Mteur's Letter to Amateurs. 583 
/iisias . 5^4 
(rnations and Picotees at The 
Varren (illus.) . 5^8 
(rnations, Winter Flowering . 592 
■ rysanthemums: Work for Sep- 
ember . 587 
(Id Frames: Winter Treatment ... 584 
(mpetition Awards . 584 
impetition, Prize Letter . 586 
(t Flowering Shrubs in Y ases . 59 2 
(damen, Saving Seeds of (letter) 585 
Iffodils, Hybridising . . 5 8 S 
■llgaty Castle, Turriff (illus.) . 585 
I quire Within . 593 
Inver Garden, The . 59 ° 
1 ait Garden, The . 59 ° 
(eenhouse, The Amateurs . 590 
Lchen Garden, The . 59 ° 
(chids for Amateurs . 59 1 
Iinting, Next Y'ear’s . 5 86 
Jck Plant, A Rare (illus.) . 5 8 7 
1 eet Peas (letter) . 585 
Drk of the Week . 59 ° 
-♦++- 
SqpUmbw. 
(From the Italian of Cesare Rossi). 
1 sweet September, in some leaf-strewn 
oath 
ove to reap a pensive aftermath 
Of thought, and seek to prove thy 
mysteries: 
' e while a heifer browses in the grass, 
d o’er me some belated bird doth pass, 
And from yon cot the curling smoke- 
wreaths rise. 
let me share in this, thy mellow calm, 
ie peace that comes from striving, 
labours balm, 
Wherein the soul forgets the ills of 
life : 
ve to thy poet who loves thy mild 
:harm well, 
te secret of thy strange subduing spell, 
That passion stills, and hushes 
sounds of strife. . - 
CVII. 
Dictamnus Fraxinella. 
This is a hardy perennial that all 
should endeavour to find a place for in a 
border of mixed plants. It has some 
rather uncommon virtues, and chief 
among these is its attractiveness even after 
it has finished flowering. Some peren¬ 
nials are distinctly unsightly at this 
stage, as the Oriental Poppies; while 
others, if not exactly that, yet lack any 
claim to decorativeness. This Dictam¬ 
nus, also, is so strong and sturdy that it 
needs no stake and the consequent tying; 
while its upstanding seed vessels are very 
pleasant to look upon. The seed may be 
sown' at the present time, as when newly 
ripened it germinates more quickly, but 
I have come to the conclusion that the 
majority of shiny black seeds, such as 
this, require a great deal of patience, and 
I should prefer to purchase plants during 
the autumn season. There is a white 
variety which on the whole is the best, 
and a soft pink, but they make capital 
companion plants, and the foliage is very 
distinct and characteristic, so that alto¬ 
gether this old favourite must be regarded 
as a perennial of the first class. 
Galega orientalis. 
Another perennial to which I should 
like to call attention to-day is Galega 
orientalis, very similar to the older G. 
officinalis, but rather larger in all its 
parts. Both these varieties make real ad¬ 
ditions to the border, for they are profuse 
bloomers, and though the mass of bloom 
is over by the end of July, there is a 
lesser display for the next month or more. 
They may be reared from seed, but I find 
a far easier method is to put a few pieces 
into the ground during August and early 
September; they root readily and flower 
well the next season. 
Pansies and Violas. 
As a rule I infinitely prefer self- 
coloured Pansies and Violas to edged and 
fancy varieties, but I have to make an ex¬ 
ception for Mrs. Chichester, with blue and 
white petals, the blue pleasantly suffused. 
It is as dainty and fresh looking as any¬ 
thing that can be imagined, and in a re¬ 
cent report of some Y T iola trials in the 
pages of a contemporary I was glad to 
see that it came out well in its particular 
class, though James Pilling beat it, and 
Willie Farmer ranked equal with it. I 
have just been taking a number of Pansy 
cuttings of this and other favourite varie¬ 
ties of the numerous young growths now 
in evidence. If these are struck at the 
present time they make useful material to 
flower next year, coming in a little later 
than divided plants. Let me describe 
how to divide a Pansy or Viola for early 
autumn planting. Old growth that is 
hollow and useless must be cut off, but 
there should be ample young stuff left, 
and this can be divided into small portions 
and planted rather deeply where it is to 
flower. Among edging subjects few will 
compare with Y T iolas so bright, effective, 
and long flowering are they, and for this 
purpose undoubtedly self-coloured varie¬ 
ties are more telling. 
Gazania Culture. 
Those who have plants of these and wish 
to maintain a supply for another season 
will do well to secure cuttings at once. 
They root readily and will not need more 
winter protection than a cold house 
affords. To my thinking there is a glow¬ 
ing brilliancy about these flowers that has 
great value, and as they succeed admir¬ 
ably in dry, warm positions, they are very 
useful among bedders, and neither do 
they need unduly rich soil. They con¬ 
tinue flowering so late into the autumn 
that if the weather remain open they con¬ 
tinue until December. But they just fail 
in being hardy. They are so dwarf and 
regular in growth that they make grand 
summer edgings. Striking, indeed, was 
a double row of them down a long and 
important border in a large old-fashioned 
garden. 
Marguerite Carnations. 
Late sown or unfortunately placed 
plants of these will, it is to be feared, have 
little chance this season to flower for any¬ 
thing like the period they should. Get 
October here, and the heavy dews and 
rains turn the flowers to a distressing 
pulp, and though each plant may still be 
covered with buds, they will have little or 
no chance to expand. My advice to all 
having plants that will shortly be in this 
condition is to lift them carefully either 
at the present time or later and pot care¬ 
fully, shade, and do everything possible 
to prevent flagging or other check, and 
when the plants are established they will 
make charming flowering plants for a cold 
house. I lifted some last season and they 
were still flowering at Christmas time. 
These are often called annual Carna¬ 
tions; strictly speaking, of course, they 
are nothing of the sort, but in many cases 
they may be treated as annuals, as they 
flower their first season. I wintered these 
Carnations, and replanted them outside in 
April, and I mention this fact beca’/'e the 
result has been wonderfully successful, the 
plants being full of flower at the present 
time. Now, unless the seed be sown early 
in February in heat, the plants do not 
flower early enough to have time to com- 
