June 25.—It is raining as we write today, a nice steady rain that will gladden the hearts of garden owners and allow them to look forward to a reduced water bill at the end of the month: it will also permit some gardeners to enjoy their often postponed mahjongg parties. The rain was badly needed, but we wonder if it will know when to stop: it sometimes does not. We notice that the rainfall up to date this year, is 465 inches below the average for the past 67 years. We saw a nice display of purple Scabious in a garden the other day, this "Pincushion" flower, to give it its old English name, not grown here as much as it deserves: the plant is very decorative and it adds charm to a mixed border. The purple variety may not be like by some, but it looked very charming where we saw it and it provided a pleasant change from the usual crop of annuals; white and crimson varieties are obtainable for those who do not like the "mourning bride." Prunus sinensis, that beautiful spring flowering shrub which we referred to on April 22, is now in fruit. The dry weather must have been suitable for this shrub for it is bearing wine-red berries in abundance; we have never seen a better crop, some of the shrubs are really attractive. It is almost six weeks ago that we first noticed the oleander in bloom. There are still some magnificent specimens to be seen in gardens, the trees being covered with pink or white flowers: we saw a group of the pink variety in full flower, close to a bed of blue salvia, the effect was quite pretty. Blue salvia is very accommo dating, if we save our old plants and cut them down, they will flower in late Spring: if we sow seed in Spring, the resultant seedlings will flower in the Summer and provide us with a succession of bloom.—w.J.k.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.