In the Garden
It seems that the lament for wasted crab-apples is not justified in all districts. The fruit is sought by a few specialists all over the area, and is converted into jellies much more agreeable in flavour than those made of Siberian or other crabs of our gardens. In general a good many more things are good to eat than are eaten ; mushrooms of many sorts, many berries, crab-apples, Roman snails, pig-nuts and what not ; but the list includes also a certain amount of garden produce. Some sorts of garden fruit are the subject of queries. What about medlars? The gourmet picks them in November when a little green, puts them on shelves for a few weeks till they become, to the technical gardener, bletted," which some consider a synonym for half-rotten.
The loveliest thing in the garden at the moment is the gentian. It is astonishing that so many of this very varied tribe are easily cultivated in lowland gardens, though their home is usually the heights ; and none is more easy to cultivate or more satisfactory than sino-ornata. How frequent the flowers and how deep the blue!
W. BEACH THOMAS.
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