,,the ,,flower-,,fields ,,of   ,,alpine 
,,switzerland   ,illustration3 ,,caltha 
,,palustris and ,,primula ,,farinosa on 
the upper fields of ,champex towards the
 end of ,may4                           
,,the ,,flower-,,fields ,,of            
,,alpine ,,switzerland                  
,,an ,,appreciation ,,and ,a ,,plea     
,,painted ,,and ,,written               
,,by                               ,g4  
,,flemwell                  ,,author    
,,of 8,,alpine ,,flowers ,,and          
,,gardens0      8,into the fieldes did  
he goe1 which then faire ,flora         
bedecked1         ,with redolent        
blossoms1 ,o how grateful to the        
sences40                                
,,francis ,,sabie1 ,pan's ,pipe4        
,,with ,,twenty-,,six ,,reproductions   
,,of ,,water-,,colour ,,drawings        
,london  33  ,,hutchinson  ,,co4        
,paternoster ,row  33  33  33  #aiaa    
,,to                                    
,,mademoiselle ,,marthe ,,dedie         
,,and ,,all ,,at                        

8,,la ,,combe10 ,,rolle 7,,vaud7        
,,preface   ,last year ,mr4 ,g4         
,flemwell gave us a very beautiful      
volume upon the ,alpine ,flora1 and it  
has met with well-deserved success4 ,but
 the author is not yet satisfied4 ,he   
thinks to do better1 and would now make 
known other pictures--those of ,alpine  
fields1 especially during the spring    
months4  ,springtime in our ,alps is    
certainly the most beautiful moment of  
the year1 and the months of ,may and    
,june1 even to the middle of ,july1 are 
the most brilliant of all4 ,it is a     
season which1 up to the present1 we have
 rather considered as reserved for us   
,swiss1 who do not much like that which 
is somewhat irreverently called         
l'industrie des trangers1 and perhaps we
 shall not be altogether enchanted to   
find that the author  la mode is about  
to draw the veil from our secrets1 open 
the lock-gates of our most sacred joys  
to the international flood1 and sound   
the clarion to make known1 urbe et orbi1

 the springtime glory of our fields4    
,with this one little reservation to    
calm the egotistical anxiety which is in
 me 7,mr4 ,flemwell1 who is my colleague
 in the ,swiss ,alpine ,club1 knows too 
well our national character not to      
understand the spirit in which we make  
certain reservations with regard to this
 invasion of our mountains by the       
cosmopolitan crowd71 ,i wish to thank   
the author1 and to compliment him upon  
this fresh monument which he raises to  
the glory of our flowers4  ,he here     
presents them under a different aspect1 
and shows us the ,alpine field1 the     
meadow1 the great green slope as they   
transform themselves in springtime4 ,he 
sings of this rebirth with his          
poet-soul1 and presents it in pictures  
which are so many hymns to the glory of 
the ,creator4 ,and he is justified in   
this1 for nothing in the world is more  
marvellous than the re-flowering of     
,alpine fields in ,may and ,june4 ,i    
have seen it in the little vallons of   

,fully and of ,tourtemagne in ,valais1  
in the fields of ,anzeindaz and of      
,taveyannaz 7,canton de ,vaud71 at the  
summit of the ,gemmi and on the ,oberalp
 in the ,grisons2 ,i have seen the      
flowering spring in the ,bernese        
,oberland and on the ,utli 7,zurich71 in
 the vallons of ,savoie and in those of 
,dauphin2 ,i have seen the metamorphosis
 of the ,val de ,bagnes and of the      
,bavarian plain1 the transformation of  
the marvellous valleys of ,pimont and of
 the elevated valley of ,aosta4 ,but ,i 
have never seen anything more beautiful 
or more solemn than spring in the ,jura 
,mountains of ,vaud and ,neuchatel1 with
 their fields of ,anemone alpina and    
narcissiflora1 when immense areas       
disappeared under a deep azure veil of  
,gentiana verna or of the darker        
,gentiana ,clusii1 and when the         
landscape is animated by myriads of     
,viola biflora or of ,soldanella4 ,in   
reading what ,mr4 ,flemwell has written1
 my spirit floats further afield even   

than this--to the ,val del ,faene1 which
 reposes near to the ,bernina1 and ,i   
see over again a picture that no        
painter1 not even our author1 could     
render3 the snow1 in retiring to the    
heights1 gave place to a carpet of      
violet1 blue1 lilac1 yellow1 or bright  
pink1 according as it was composed of   
either ,soldanella pusilla1 of long1    
narrow1 pendent bells1 which flowered in
 thousands and millions upon slopes     
still brown from the rigours of winter1 
or ,gentiana verna1 or ,primula         
integrifolia1 whose dense masses were   
covered with their lovely blossoms1 or  
,gagea ,liotardi1 whose brilliant yellow
 stars shone on all sides in the sun1 or
 ,primula hirsuta4 ,all these separate  
masses formed together a truly          
enchanting picture1 which remained      
unadmired by strangers--since these had 
not yet arrived--and which ,i was happy 
and proud to salute under the sky of the
 ,grisons4  ,our author seems to have a 
predilection for the blue flower of     

,gentiana verna1 and ,i thank him for   
all he says of my favourite4 ,when1 at  
the age of ten years1 ,i saw it for the 
first time1 carpeting the fields of the 
,jura in ,vaud1 my child's soul was so  
enthusiastic over it that there were    
fears ,i should make myself ill4 ,this  
impression1 which dates from #ahfd1 is  
still as fresh in my memory as if it    
were of yesterday4 ,blue1 true blue1 is 
so rare in ,nature that ,alphonse ,karr 
could cite but five or six flowers that 
were really so3 the ,gentian1 the       
,comellina1 several ,delphiniums1 the   
,cornflower1 and the ,forget-me-not4    
,the blue of the ,gentian is certainly  
the most superb and velvety1 especially 
that of ,gentiana bavarica4 ,a group of 
,gentiana verna1 brachyphylla1 and      
bavarica which ,i exhibited at the      
,temple ,show in ,london in ,may #aiaj1 
and which was a very modest one1 it     
having suffered during the long voyage  
from ,floraire to ,london1 was greatly  
admired1 and did not cease to attract   

the regard of all flower-lovers4 ,blue  
is so scarce1 every one said1 that it is
 good to feast one's eyes upon it when  
one meets with it6  ,the practical side 
of this volume resides in the           
information it offers to lovers of      
,alpine flowers in ,england4 ,one       
readily believes that1 in order to      
cultivate these mountain plants1 big    
surroundings are necessary3 a great     
collection of rocks1 as in the giant    
,alpine garden of ,friar ,park4 ,we have
 proved in our garden of                
,floraire--where the public is willingly
 admitted1 and which flower-lovers are  
invited to visit--that mountain plants  
can be cultivated without rockwork1 and 
that it is even important1 if one wishes
 to give an artistic and natural aspect 
to the garden1 not to be too prodigal of
 rock and stone4 ,much verdure is       
essential1 it is necessary to have a    
frame for the picture1 and that frame   
can only be obtained by creating the    
,alpine field4 ,one day at ,friar ,park1

 ,sir ,frank ,crisp1 the creator of this
 beautiful alpinum1 taking me aside and 
making me walk around with him1 showed  
me a vast1 empty field which stretched  
away to the north of the ,matterhorn1   
and said3 8,it is here that ,i wish to  
establish a ,swiss field to soften the  
too rocky aspect of the garden and to   
give it a fitting frame40 ,and since    
then ,i am unable to conceive that there
 was ever a time when the ,alpine garden
 at ,friar ,park had not its setting of 
,alpine fields4 ,there was no idea of   
making such a thing when the garden was 
begun2 but once the rockwork was        
finished the rest imposed itself4 ,one  
needs the flower-filled field1 l'alpe en
 fte1 by the side of the grey rocks4    
,this is why1 in our horticultural      
establishment at ,floraire1 we make     
constant efforts to reproduce expanses  
of ,narcissi1 ,columbines1 ,gentians1   
,daphnes1 ,primulas1 etc41 grouped in   
masses as we have seen them in nature1  
and as ,mr4 ,flemwell gives them in his 

book4  ,herein lies the great utility of
 this volume1 and the reason why it will
 be consulted with pleasure by gardeners
 as well as by alpinists and lovers of  
nature generally4                       
,,henry ,,correvon4    ,,floraire1      
,,near ,,geneva1   ,january #b1 #aiaa4  
,,contents     ,,part ,i    ,,an        
,,appreciation     ,,chapter            
,,page       ,i4 ,,of ,,our ,,enthusiasm
 ,,for 8,,alpines0            #c        
,,ii4 ,,alpine ,,flower-,,fields        
#ab     ,,iii4 ,,the ,,may ,,fields     
#ba      ,,iv4 ,,the ,,vernal ,,gentian 
#ce       ,v4 ,,in ,,storm ,,and ,,shine
                        #dh      ,,vi4  
,,the ,,june ,,meadows                  
#fd     ,,vii4 ,,on ,,floral            
,,attractiveness ,,and ,,colour         
#hf    ,,viii4 ,,the ,,rhododendron     
#ajb      ,,ix4 ,,the ,,july ,,fields   
#aad       ,x4 ,,the ,,autumn ,,crocus  
#acd     ,,part ,,ii    ,a ,,plea       
,,xi4 ,,alpine ,,fields ,,for ,,england 
#adi    ,,xii4 ,,some ,,ways ,,and      

,,means                       #afb      
,l',,envoi                              
#agi    ,,index                         
#ahi     ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations    
#a4  ,caltha palustris and ,primula     
farinosa on the       upper fields of   
,champex towards the end of ,may        
,frontispiece                           
,,page    #b4 ,gentiana verna and       
,primula farinosa on the lower fields of
      ,champex towards the end of ,may1 
with part of the massif      of         
,saleinaz in the background             
#b    #c4 ,lac ,champex in cloudland at 
the end of ,may2 ,caltha palustris      
and ,primula farinosa by the water-edge 
#h    #d4 ,the upper fields of ,champex 
early in ,june1 with the ,grand         
,combin in the distance                 
#ac    #e4 ,trollius europus1 the ,globe
 ,flower1 on the cloud-swept      fields
 in early ,june                         
#ag    #f4 ,anemone sulphurea and ,viola
 calcarata in the ,val d',arpette       
in ,june                                

#be    #g4 ,early-,june fields beyond   
,praz de ,fort in the ,val ,ferret1     
backed by the ,groupe du ,grand         
,saint-,bernard et du ,grand            
,golliaz                                
#cb    #h4 ,the ,paradise ,lily         
7,paradisia ,liliastrum7 near the       
,glacier de      ,trient about the      
middle of ,june                         
#dj    #i4 ,june meadows of ,salvia1    
,lychnis1 etc41 in the ,val ,ferret1    
just before arriving at the village of  
,praz de ,fort             #dh    #aj4  
,field of ,campanula rhomboidalis on the
 ,col de la ,forclaz       about the    
beginning of ,july                      
#eg    #aa4 ,in the early-,july fields  
at ,champex                             
#fe    #ab4 ,evening among the fields of
 pink ,bistort at ,lac ,champex2        
sunset-glow on the ,grand ,combin1 ,july
                          #gc    #ac4   
,haymaking at ,champex in the middle of 
,july                     #ha    #ad4   
,the ,autumn ,crocus in the fields near 

the village of ,trient1       with the  
,aiguille du ,tour in the background1   
,september         #hh    #ae4 ,anemone 
sulphurea and ,gentiana excisa painted  
directly in       the fields at the end 
of ,may                                 
#ig    #af4 ,primula farinosa1 ,gentiana
 verna1 ,micheli's ,daisy1              
,bartsia alpina1 ,polygala alpina1 and  
the two ,pinguiculas       or           
,butterworts1 painted directly in the   
fields at the end       of ,may         
#aje    #ag4 ,gentiana verna1 the       
type-plant1 and some of its forms       
#aac    #ah4 ,geranium sylvaticum1      
,potentilla rupestris1 ,centaurea       
montana1 the pink ,bistort1 the little  
,alpine ,bistort1       painted on the  
spot in the fields at the beginning of  
,july    #abb    #ai4 ,paradisia        
,liliastrum1 the ,paradise or ,st4      
,bruno's ,lily      #abi    #bj4 ,rosa  
alpina1 the thornless ,alpine ,eglantine
                 #acf    #ba4 ,young    
plants of ,veratrum album1 together with

 ,salvia       pratensis1 ,phyteuma     
betonicfolium1 ,p4 orbiculare1       the
 white and the yellow ,euphrasia1 and   
the yellow ,clover1       drawn on the  
spot at the beginning of ,july          
#add    #bb4 ,arnica1 the ,brown        
,gentian 7,g4 purpurea71 ,campanula     
barbata1 and the fiery little ,hieracium
 aurantiacum1       painted from life in
 the fields towards the middle of ,july 
#aeb    #bc4 ,the tall yellow ,hypochris
 uniflora1 ,centaurea uniflora1         
the ,golden ,hawkweed 7,crepis aurea7   
drawn from life in the       ,july      
fields                                  
#afj    #bd4 ,gentiana campestris and   
,gentiana bavarica                 #afi 
#be4 ,astrantia major1 ,a4 minor1 and   
the ,apollo butterfly       #agf    #bf4
 ,the ,willow ,gentian 7,g4 asclepiadea7
 and the ,alpine ,cotton   ,grass       
7,eriophorum ,scheuchzeri7              
#ahb     ,,part ,i  ,,an ,,appreciation 
8,ensnared with flowers1 ,i fall on     
grass40    ,,andrew ,,marvell4          

,illustration3 ,,gentiana ,,verna and   
,,primula ,,farinosa on the lower fields
 of ,champex towards the end of ,may1   
with part of the ,,massif of ,saleinaz  
in the background4      ,,chapter ,i    
,,of ,,our ,,enthusiasm ,,for           
8,,alpines0       8,we are here dealing 
with one of the strongest intellectual  
impulses of rational beings4 ,animals1  
as a rule1 trouble      themselves but  
little about anything unless they want  
either      to eat it or to run away    
from it4 ,interest in1 and wonder at1   
the works of nature and of the doings of
 man are products of      civilisation1 
and excite emotions which do not        
diminish1 but      increase with        
increasing knowledge and cultivation4   
,feed them and      they grow2 minister 
to them and they will greatly           
multiply40--,,the      ,,rt4 ,,hon4 ,a4 
,j4 ,,balfour1 in his ,address as ,lord 
,rector of ,st4      ,andrews           
,university1 ,december #aj1 #ahhg4      
,some excuse--or rather1 some           

explanation--seems to be needed for     
daring to present yet another book upon 
the ,alpine ,flora of ,switzerland4 ,so 
formidable is the array of such books   
already1 and so persistently do         
additions appear1 that it is not without
 diffidence that ,i venture to swell the
 numbers1 and1 incidentally1 help to    
fill the new subterranean chamber of the
 ,bodleian4  ,with the author of 8,du   
,vrai1 ,du ,beau1 et ,du ,bien10 ,i feel
 that 8,moins la musique fait de bruit  
et plus elle touche02 ,i feel that      
reticence rather than garrulity is at   
the base of well-being1 and that1 if the
 best interests of the cult of ,alpines 
be studied1 any over-production of books
 upon the subject should be avoided1    
otherwise we are likely to be face to   
face with the danger of driving this    
particular section of the plant-world   
within that zone of appreciation 8over  
which hangs the veil of familiarity40   
,few acts are more injudicious1 more    
unkind1 or more destructive than that of

 overloading4 8,the last straw0 will    
break the back of anything1 not alone of
 a camel4 ,one who is mindful of this   
truth is in an anxious position when he 
finds himself one of a thousand         
industrious builders busily bent upon   
adding straw upon straw to the back of  
one special subject4  ,it were a        
thousand pities if1 for want of         
moderation1 ,alpines should go the way  
,sweet ,peas are possibly doomed to     
go--the way of all overridden           
enthusiasms4 ,extravagant attention is  
no new menace to the welfare of that we 
set out to admire and to cherish1 and it
 were pity of pities if1 for lack of    
seemly restraint1 the shy and lovely    
denizens of the ,alps should arrive at  
that place in our intimacy where they   
will no longer be generally regarded    
with thoughtful respect and intelligent 
wonder1 but will be obliged to retire   
into the oblivion which so much         
surrounds those things immediately and  
continuously under our noses4 ,for1 of  

all plants1 they merit to be of our     
abiding treasures4  ,but just because we
 have come to the opinion that ,alpines 
stand in need of less 8bush10 it does   
not necessarily follow that we must be  
sparing of our attention4 ,there is     
ample occasion for an extension of      
honest1 balanced intimacy4 ,what we have
 to fear is an irrational               
freak-enthusiasm similar to the         
seventeenth-century craze for ,tulips--a
 craze of which ,la ,bruyre so          
trenchantly speaks in referring to an   
acquaintance who was swept off his feet 
by the monstrous prevailing wave4 8,god 
and ,nature10 he says1 8are not in his  
thoughts1 for they do not go beyond the 
bulb of his tulip1 which he would not   
sell for a thousand pounds1 though he   
will give it you for nothing when tulips
 are no longer in fashion1 and          
carnations are all the rage4 ,this      
rational being1 who has a soul and      
professes some religion1 comes home     
tired and half starved1 but very pleased

 with his day's work4 ,he has seen some 
tulips40 ,now this was enthusiasm of a  
degree and kind which could not possibly
 endure2 reaction was bound to come4 ,of
 course1 it was an extreme instance of  
fashion run mad1 and one of which       
,alpines may never perhaps provoke a    
repetition4 ,yet we shall do well to see
 a warning in it4  ,i think ,i hear     
enthusiastic lovers of ,alpines         
protesting that there is no fear        
whatever of such an eventuality for     
their gems1 because these latter are    
above all praises and attentions and    
cannot be overrated4 ,i fancy ,i hear   
the enthusiasts explaining that ,alpines
 are not ,sweet ,peas1 or ,tulips1 or   
double ,show ,dahlias2 that they occupy 
a place apart1 a place such as is       
occupied by the hot-house and greenhouse
 ,orchids1 a place unique and           
unassailable4 ,and these protestations  
may quite possibly prove correct2 ,i    
only say that1 in view of precedents1   
there lurks a tendency towards the      

danger named1 and that it therefore     
behoves all those who have the solid    
welfare of these plants at heart to be  
on their guard1 to discourage mere empty
 attentions1 and to do what is possible 
to direct enthusiasm into sound1        
intelligent channels4 8,an ignorant     
worship is a poor substitute for a just 
appreciation40 ,aye1 but it is often    
more than this2 it is often a dangerous 
one4  ,already the admiration and       
attention meted out to ,alpines is being
 spoken of as a fashion1 a rage1 and a  
craze2 and we know that there is no     
smoke without fire4 ,certainly1 the same
 language has been used towards the     
enthusiasm shown for ,orchids4 ,but     
,orchids have nought to fear from that  
degree of popularisation which impinges 
upon vulgarisation4 ,the prices they    
command and the expense attendant upon  
their culture afford them important     
protection--a protection which ,alpines 
do not possess to anything like the same
 extent4  ,of course1 the fate in store 

for ,alpines in ,england is not of so   
inevitable a nature as that awaiting    
,japanese gardening2 for in this latter 
8craze0 there is an element scarcely    
present in ,alpine gardening4 ,we can   
more or less fathom the spirit of       
,alpine gardening and are therefore     
quite able to construct something that  
shall be more or less intelligent and   
true2 but can we say as much for        
ourselves with regard to ,japanese      
gardening8 ,i think not4 ,i think that  
largely it is1 and must remain1 a sealed
 book to us4 ,japanese gardening1 as    
,miss ,du ,cane very truly points out in
 her ,preface to 8,the ,flowers and     
,gardens of ,japan10 is 8the most       
complicated form of gardening in the    
world40 ,who in ,england will master the
 8seven schools0 and absorb all the     
philosophy and subtle doctrine which    
governs them8 ,who in ,england will     
bring himself to see a rock1 a pool1 a  
bush as the ,japanese gardener sees     
them1 as1 indeed1 the ,japanese people  

in general see them8 ,the spirit of     
,japanese gardening is as fundamentally 
different from the spirit of ,english   
gardening as that of ,japanese art is   
from ,english art4 ,what poor1          
spiritless results we have when ,english
 art assumes the guise of ,japanese art6
 ,it is imitation limping leagues behind
 its model4 ,and it is this because it  
is unthought1 unfelt1 unrealized4       
,strikingly individual1 the ,japanese   
outlook is much more impersonal than is 
ours4 ,needs must that we be born into  
the traditions of such a race to        
comprehend and feel as it does about    
,nature4 ,a ,japanese must have his     
rocks1 streams1 trees proportioned to   
his tea or dwelling house and bearing   
mystic religious significance4 ,such    
particular strictness is the product of 
ages of upbringing4 ,a few years1 a     
generation or two could not produce in  
us the reasoned nicety of this phase of 
appreciation2 still less the reading of 
some book or the visit to some garden   

built by ,japanese hands4 ,the spirit of
 a race is of far longer weaving2 one   
summer does not make a butterfly2       
,illustration3 ,,lac ,,champex in       
cloudland at the end of ,may2 ,,caltha  
,,palustris and ,,primula ,,farinosa by 
the water edge4                         
8444 think of all     ,the suns that go 
to make one speedwell blue40  ,to us a  
tiny chalet is quite well placed amid   
stupendous cliffs and huge1 tumbled     
boulders1 and is fit example to follow1 
if only we are able to do so4 ,in       
,alpine gardening we feel no need to    
study the size of our rocks in relation 
to our summer-house1 or place them so   
that they express some high philosophic 
or mystic principle4 ,we have no cult   
beyond ,nature's own cult in this       
matter4 ,we see1 and we are content to  
see1 that ,nature has no nice plan and  
yet is invariably admirable2 we see1 and
 we are content to see1 that if man1 as 
in ,switzerland1 chooses to plant his   
insignificant dwelling in the midst of  

great1 disorderly rocks and crowded     
acres of brilliant blossoms1 it is      
romantic garden enough and worthy of as 
close imitation as possible4  ,with the 
,japanese1 gardening is perhaps more a  
deeply sthetic culture than it is the   
culture of plants4 ,where we are bald1  
unemotional1 8scientific0 gardeners1    
they will soar high into the clouds of  
philosophic mysticism4 ,truer children  
of the ,cosmos than we ,western         
materialists1 they walk in their gardens
 as in some religious rite4 ,we1 too1 no
 doubt1 are often dreamers2 we1 too1 are
 often wont to find in our gardens      
expression for our searching            
inner-consciousness2 but how different  
are our methods1 how different the      
spirit we wish to express4  ,the most1  
therefore1 we can accomplish in         
,japanese modes of gardening is to ape  
them2 and of this1 because of its       
emptiness1 we shall very soon tire4 ,the
 things which are most enduring are the 
things honestly felt and thought2 for   

the expression of the true self reaches 
out nearest to satisfaction4 ,unless1   
then1 we are apes in more than ancestry1
 ,japanese gardening can have no long   
life among us4 ,alpine gardening is far 
more akin to our natural or hereditary  
instincts2 it holds for us the          
possibility of an easier and more honest
 appreciation4 ,and it is just here1 in 
this very fact1 where lies much of the  
danger which may overtake and smother   
the immense and growing enthusiasm with 
which ,alpines are meeting4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,how     
best1 then1 to direct and build up this 
enthusiasm into something substantial1  
something that shall secure for ,alpines
 a lasting place in our affections8 ,the
 answer is in another question3 ,what   
better than a larger1 more comprehensive
 appeal to ,alpine nature2 what better  
than a more thorough translation of     
,alpine circumstance to our grounds and 
gardens8  ,now1 to this end we must look
 around us in the ,alps to find that    

element in plant-life which we have     
hitherto neglected2 and if we do this1  
our eyes must undoubtedly alight upon   
the fields4 ,hitherto these have been a 
greatly neglected quantity with us when 
planning our ,alpine gardens1 and their 
possibilities have been almost entirely 
overlooked in respect of our home-lands4
 ,why should we not make more pronounced
 attempts to create such meadows1 either
 as befitting adjuncts to our rock works
 or as embellishments to our parks8 ,i  
venture to think that such an extension 
and direction of our enthusiasm would   
add much sterling popularity to that    
already acquired by ,alpines in our     
midst1 besides doing far greater justice
 to many of their number4 ,i venture to 
think1 also1 that it would add much to  
the joy and health of home-life4 ,these 
thoughts1 therefore1 shall be developed 
and examined as we push forward with    
this volume1 first of all making a      
careful study of the fields on the spot1
 and marking their 8moods and tenses40  

,,chapter ,,ii  ,,alpine                
,,flower-,,fields       8,if you go to  
the open field1 you shall always be in  
contact      directly with the ,nature4 
,you hear how sweetly those innocent    
birds are singing4 ,you see how         
beautifully those meadow-flowers        
are blossoming4444 ,everything you are  
observing there is pure and      sacred4
 ,and you yourselves are unconsciously  
converted into purity      by the       
,nature40--,,yoshio ,,markino1 ,my      
,idealed ,john ,bulless4   ,alpine      
,flower-fields2 it is well that we      
should at once come to some             
understanding as to the term 8,alpine0  
and what it is here intended to convey1 
otherwise it will be open to            
misinterpretation4 ,purists in the use  
of words will be nearer to our present  
meaning than they who have in mind the  
modern and general acceptation of the   
words 8,alp0 and 8,alpine40 ,the        
authority of custom has confirmed these 
words in what1 really1 is faulty usage4 

8,alp0 really means a mountain          
pasturage1 and its original use1        
traceable for more than a thousand      
years1 relates to any part of a mountain
 where the cattle can graze4 ,it does   
not mean merely the snow-clad summit of 
some important mountain4 ,nor does      
8,alpine0 mean that region of a mountain
 which is above the tree-limit4         
,illustration3 ,the ,,upper ,,fields of 
,champex early in ,june1 with the ,grand
 ,combin in the distance4   ,strictly1  
then1 ,alpine circumstance is           
circumstance surrounding the mountain   
pasturages1 whether these latter be     
known popularly as ,alpine or as        
sub-,alpine4 ,to the popular            
mind--to-day to a great extent amongst  
even the ,swiss themselves--,alpine     
heights at once suggest what ,mr4 ,e4   
,f4 ,benson calls 8white altitudes02 but
 that should not be the suggestion      
conveyed here4 ,for present purposes it 
should be clearly understood that the   
term 8,alpine pastures0 is used in its  

old1 embracive sense1 and that          
sub-,alpine pastures are included and1  
indeed1 predominate4  ,of course1 we may
 be obliged to bow occasionally to a    
custom that has so obliterated original 
meanings1 or we shall risk becoming     
unintelligible2 we may from time to time
 be obliged to use the word             
8sub-,alpine0 for the lower sphere in   
,alpine circumstance 7although1 really  
and truly1 the word should suggest      
circumstance removed from off the       
,alps--circumstance purely and simply of
 the plains74 ,we shall therefore do    
well to accept the definition of        
8sub-,alpine0 given by ,dr4 ,percy      
,groom in the 8,general ,introduction to
 ,ball's ,alpine ,guide10--8the region  
of coniferous trees40 ,yet1 at the same 
time1 it must be clearly understood that
 our use of the term 8,alpine0 embraces 
this sub-,alpine region4  ,it is        
absolutely necessary to start with this 
understanding1 because1 in talking      
here--or1 for that matter1 anywhere--of 

,alpine plants we shall be talking much 
of sub-,alpine plants4 ,after all1 our  
own gardens warrant this4 ,our ,alpine  
rockeries are1 in point of fact1 very   
largely sub-,alpine with regard to the  
plants which find a place upon them4 ,as
 laid down in the present writer's      
8,alpine ,flowers and ,gardens10 it is  
difficult1 if not impossible1 to draw   
any definite line1 even for the         
strictest of ,alpine rock-gardening1    
between ,alpines and sub-,alpines4 ,the 
list would indeed be shorn and          
abbreviated which would exclude all     
subjects not found solely above the     
pine-limit4 ,a ban would have to be     
placed upon the best of the ,gentians1  
the two ,astrantias1 the ,paradise and  
the ,martagon ,lily1 to mention nothing 
of ,campanulas1 ,pinks1 ,geraniums1     
,phyteumas1 ,saxifrages1 ,hieraciums1   
and a whole host of other precious and  
distinctive blossoms4 ,it would never   
do2 our rockworks would be robbed of    
their best and brightest4 ,therefore1   

because there is much that is ,alpine in
 sub-,alpine vegetation 7just as there  
is much that is sub-,alpine in ,alpine  
vegetation7 we must1 at any rate for the
 purposes of this volume1 adhere to the 
etymology of the word 8,alpine10 and    
give the name without a murmur to the   
middle and lower mountain-fields1 in    
precisely the same spirit in which we   
give the name to our mixed rockworks in 
,england4  ,no need for us to travel    
higher than from #d1jjj to #e1jjj feet  
7and we may reasonably descend to some  
#c1jjj or #b1ejj feet74 ,no need        
whatever to scramble to the high summer 
pastures on peak and col 7#f1jjj to     
#g1jjj feet71 where abound 8,ye living  
flowers that skirt the eternal frost02  
where1 around a pile of stones or       
signal1 solitary ,swallow-tail          
butterflies love to disport themselves2 
where the sturdy cowherd invokes in song
 his patron-saint1 ,st4 ,wendelin2 and  
where the pensive cattle browse and chew
 the cud for a brief and ideal spell4   

,no need to seek1 for instance1 the     
rapid pastures around the summit of     
,mount ,cray1 or on the steep col       
between the ,gummfluh and the ,rubly1 if
 we are at ,chteau d',oex2 or to toil to
 the ,col de ,balme or to the 8look-out0
 on the ,arpille1 if we are at the ,col 
de la ,forclaz2 or to scale the ,pas    
d',encel or the ,col de ,coux1 if we are
 at ,champry2 or to clamber to the      
,croix de ,javernaz1 if we are at ,les  
,plans2 or to follow the hot way up to  
the ,col de la ,gueulaz1 if we are at   
,finhaut2 or to take train to the       
grazing-grounds on the summit of the    
,rochers de ,naye1 if we are at ,caux or
 at ,les ,avants4 ,we shall find all we 
desire--as at ,randa1 ,zermatt1 ,binn1  
,brisal1 or ,evolena--within a saunter  
of the hotels4 ,such fields as are above
 are1 for the far greater part1 used    
solely for grazing1 and we must stay    
where most are reserved for hay4 ,here  
we shall find the particular flora we   
require1 and shall be able to study it  

without let or hindrance from 8the tooth
 of the goat0 and cow4 ,the only        
hindrance will be when those strict     
utilitarians1 the haymakers1 appear and 
change our colour-full ,eden into a     
green and park-like domain1 with here   
and there a neglected corner to remind  
us of what a rich prospect was ours--   
8,till the shining scythes went far and 
wide     ,and cut it down to dry40      
99       99       99       99       99  
,thus1 we are to remain in a region     
comfortably accessible to the average   
easy-going visitor to the ,alps--the    
region in which so well-found a place as
 ,lac ,champex is situated4             
,illustration3 ,,trollius ,,europ,,us1  
the ,globe ,flower1 on the cloud-swept  
fields in early ,june4   ,and what a    
wondrous region it is1 this which is of 
sufficient altitude for ,nature to be   
thrown right out of what1 in the plains1
 is her normal habit2 where the         
,cherry-tree1 if planted1 blooms only   
about the middle of ,june2 where the    

,eglantine is in full splendour in the  
middle of ,july and can be gathered well
 into ,august2 where the blackbird is   
still piping at the end of ,july2 where 
the wild ,laburnum is in blossom in     
,august2 and where quantities of ripe   
fruit of the wild ,currant1 ,raspberry1 
and ,strawberry may be picked in        
,september4  ,and ,champex1 too1 what a 
favoured and beautiful place6 ,i have   
chosen this particular spot as the 8base
 of operations10 because of its variety 
in physical aspect1 and1 consequently1  
its variety in flowers4 ,this plan ,i   
have deemed of more use than to wander  
from place to place1 and ,i think that1 
on the whole1 it will be fair to the    
,swiss ,alpine field-flora4 ,we can take
 note from time to time of what is not  
to be found here2 for1 of course1       
,champex does not possess all the       
varieties of ,alpine field-flowers4     
,lilium croceum1 ,anemone alpina1       
,narcissus poeticus1 and the ,daffodil  
are1 for instance1 notable absentees4   

,the soil is granitic rather than       
calcareous4 ,yet1 taking all in all1 the
 flora is wonderfully representative2   
and it certainly is exceptionally rich4 
,situated upon what is really a broad1  
roomy col between the ,catogne and that 
extreme western portion of the ,mont    
,blanc massif containing the ,aiguille  
du ,tour and the ,pointe d',orny1       
,champex1 with its sparkling lake and   
cluster of hotels and chlets1 dominates 
to the south the valleys of ,ferret and 
,entremont1 and to the north the valley 
of the ,dranse1 thus offering rich1     
well-watered pasture-slopes of varied   
aspect and capacity4 ,whether it be upon
 the undulating pastures falling away to
 the ,gorges du ,durnand1 or upon the   
steeper fields leading down to          
,praz-de-,fort and ,orsires1 #a1jjj and 
#b1jjj feet below2 or whether it be upon
 the luxuriant1 marshy meadows          
immediately around the lake1 or upon the
 slightly higher1 juicy grass-land of   
the wild and picturesque ,val           

d',arpette1 there is an ever-changing   
and gorgeous luxury of colour which must
 be seen to be believed4 8,the world's  
a-flower10 and a-flower without one     
single trace of sameness4 ,whichever way
 we walk1 whichever way we gaze1 the eye
 meets with some fresh combination of   
tints1 some new and arresting           
congregation of field-flowers4  ,it is  
too much1 perhaps1 to say of any place  
that it is      8,the only point where  
human bliss stands still1     ,and      
tastes the good without the fall to     
ill40  ,but if such eulogy ever were    
permissible it would be so of ,champex  
and her flower-strewn fields and slopes 
in ,may and ,june and early in ,july4   
,in any case1 we may unquestionably     
allow ourselves to quote further of     
,pope's lines and say that1 amid these  
fields1 if anywhere1 we are able to     
8,grasp the whole world of reason1 life1
 and sense1     ,in one close system of 
benevolence40  ,like ,elizabeth of      
8,german ,garden0 fame1 we ,english     

love1 and justly love1 our 8world of    
dandelions and delights40 ,we find our  
meadows transcend all others1 and1 in   
them--still like ,elizabeth--we 8forget 
the very existence of everything but 444
 the glad blowing of the wind across the
 joyous fields40 ,but in this pride     
there is room1 ,i feel sure1 for welcome
 revelation4 ,i can imagine few things  
that would more increase delight in a   
person familiar only with ,english      
meadows than to be suddenly set down    
among the fields of the ,alps in either 
,may1 or ,june1 or early ,july4 ,what   
would he1 or she1 then feel about 8the  
glad blowing of the wind across the     
joyous fields08 ,it would surely entail 
a very lively state of ecstasy4  ,and if
 only we had at home these grass-lands  
of ,champex6 ,such hayfields in ,england
 would create a furore4 ,hourly         
excursions would be run to where they   
might be found4 ,lovers of the beautiful
 would be amazed1 then overjoyed1 and   
lost in admiration4 ,farmers1 too1 would

 likewise be amazed--then look askance  
and rave about 8bad farming40           
,undoubtedly there would be a war of    
interests4 ,upon which side would be the
 greater righteousness1 it is not easy  
to decide2 but presently we shall have  
occasion to look into the matter more   
closely4 ,in the meantime1 no particular
 daring is required to predict that1 if 
these meadows came to our parks and     
gardens1 they would come to stay4       
,,chapter ,,iii  ,,the ,,may ,,fields   
8,this is the hour1 the day1     ,the   
time1 the season sweet4     ,quick6     
hasten1 laggard feet1     ,brook not    
delay2                                  
444 ,maytide will not last2     ,forth1 
forth1 while yet 'tis time1 before the  
,spring is past40                       
,,lewis ,,morris1 ,time to ,rejoice4    
,it is essential that we arrive amid the
 ,alpine fields in ,may2 for we must    
watch them from the very beginning4 ,to 
postpone our coming until ,june would be
 to miss what is amongst the primest of 

,alpine experiences3 the awakening of   
the earlier gems in their shy yet       
trustful legions4 ,indeed1 in ,june in  
any ordinary year1 we should risk       
finding several lovely plants gone      
entirely out of bloom1 except perhaps   
quite sparsely in some belated          
snow-clogged corner2 for1 be it         
remembered1 we shall not be climbing    
higher than this region3 we do not      
propose to pursue ,flora as she ascends 
to the topmost pasture4 ,as for         
following the very general rule and     
coming only in late ,july1 it is quite  
out of the question4 ,we must come in   
,may2 and it should be towards the      
middle of the month--although the exact 
date will1 of course1 be governed by the
 advanced or retarded state of the      
season4 ,speaking generally1 however1   
the #aeth is usually neither too early  
nor too late4 ,it is wiser to be a day  
or so too early than otherwise1 because 
at this altitude it is remarkable how   
soon ,nature is wide awake when once she

 has opened her eyes4 ,the earliest     
floral effects are of the most fleeting 
in the ,alps2 and1 like most things     
fleeting in this changeful world1 they  
are of the most lovely4 ,to some it may 
appear laughable to say that one day is 
of vast importance2 but it is only the  
truth4 ,down on the plains things are   
positively sluggish by comparison       
7though an artist1 wishing to paint them
 at their best1 knows only too well how 
rapid even are these74 ,as in           
,greenland1 up here1 at #d1hjj feet1    
vegetation adapts itself in all         
practical earnest to the exigencies of  
shortened seasons4 ,june's glories are  
quick in passing2 so1 alas1 are ,july's2
 but the glories of ,may1 having usually
 but a brief portion of the month in    
which to develop1 pass1 as it were1 at  
breathless speed4  ,yes1 if ever there  
is a nervous energy of nature1 it is in 
,may in ,alpine regions2 and it behoves 
us to be equally quick and timely4 ,for 
instance1 this year 7#aiaj7 ,i was      

struck by the fact that1 two weeks after
 the last vestige of an avalanche had   
cleared from off a steep slope at the   
foot of the ,breyaz1 three or four cows 
belonging to the hotels were grazing    
contentedly on rich green grass1 and the
 ,crocus and ,soldanella had already    
bloomed and disappeared4  ,when we quit 
the plains their face is well set       
towards ,june4 ,spring's early timidity 
and delicacy are past2 the ,primrose1   
,scilla1 ,hepatica1 ,violet1 and        
,wood-,anemone have retired into a      
diligent obscurity and the fields are   
already gay with the ,orchids and the   
,globe-,flower4 ,but up here at ,champex
 we find ourselves back with the        
,crocus1 springing fresh and glistening 
from the brown1 snow-soaked sward1 and  
with the as yet scarcely awakened       
,cowslip4 ,as we climb up from ,martigny
 the slopes grow more and more          
wintry-looking1 and we may perhaps begin
 to regret leaving the wealth of        
blushing apple-blossom which dominates  

the azure-blue fields of ,myosotis below
 the ,gorges du ,durnand4 ,and this     
regret will probably become more keen   
when we plunge into the forests just    
below ,champex and find them still      
choked with snow and ice4 ,but we are   
soon and amply repaid for what at first 
seems a mad ostracism on our part4 ,one 
or two brief days1 full of intense      
interest in watching ,alpine nature's   
unfolding1 and all regrets have         
vanished1 and we have quite decided that
 these ,may fields are a ,paradise      
wherein1 in ,meredith's words1 8of all  
the world you might imagine gods to     
sit40  ,the ,crocus is not for long     
alone in making effective display4 ,the 
,soldanella soon joins it after a few   
hours of warm sunshine2 in fact1 in many
 favoured corners it is already out when
 we arrive4 ,and ,geum montanum is no   
laggard2 neither are the two ,gentians1 
verna and excisa1 nor the               
yellow-and-white ,box-leaved ,polygala4 
,by the time the #bjth of the month has 

come the pastures are thickly sown with 
pristine loveliness1 and by the #beth   
this is at the height of perfection--a  
height to which nothing in paint or in  
ink can attain4 ,flora has touched the  
fields with her fairy wand and they have
 responded with amazing alacrity4 ,turn 
which way we will1 the landscape is     
suffused with the freshest of yellow1   
rose1 and blue2 and broad1 surprising   
acres of these bewitching hues lie at   
our very door1 coming1 as it were1      
8,in our winter's heart to build a tower
 of song40  ,illustration3 ,,anemone    
,,sulphurea and ,,viola ,,calcarata in  
the ,val d',arpette in ,june4   ,our    
8laundered bosoms0 swell with hymns of  
praise2 the plains have receded into    
,memory's darker recesses1 and we vote  
these ,alpine meadows to a permanent and
 foremost place in our affections--so   
much so1 indeed1 that1 with ,thophile   
,gautier1 we unhesitatingly declare     
7though not1 be it said1 with quite all 
the musical exaggeration of his poet    

spirit73      8,mais1 moi1 je les prfre 
aux champs gras et fertiles     ,qui    
sont si loin du ciel qu'on n'y voit     
jamais ,dieu40  ,we know1 of course1    
,divinity is not absent on the plains4  
,when the poet says otherwise it is a   
tuneful licence with which we are merely
 tolerant4 ,we quite understand that    
there is a more moderate meaning behind 
his extravagance4 ,we know1 and         
everybody acquainted with ,alpine       
circumstance knows1 that in the ,alps   
there is a very strong and striking     
sense of the nearer presence of the     
,divine in nature4 ,there is a superior 
and indescribable purity1 together with 
a refinement and restraint which defies 
what is the utmost prodigality of       
colour2 and1 much as we love the        
divinity of things in the plains1 the   
divinity of those of high altitudes must
 take a foremost position in our esteem 
and joy4  ,mr4 ,a4 ,f4 ,mummery has a   
fine passage touching this subject--a   
passage that may well be quoted here1   

for it sums up in admirable fashion all 
that we ourselves are feeling4 8,every  
step10 he says1 8is health1 fun1 and    
frolic4 ,the troubles and cares of life1
 together with the essential vulgarity  
of a plutocratic society1 are left far  
below--foul miasmas that cling to the   
lowest bottoms of reeking valleys4      
,above1 in the clear air and searching  
sunlight1 we are afoot with the quiet   
gods1 and men can know each other and   
themselves for what they are40 8,the    
quiet gods0--yes1 indeed6 ,here1 if     
anywhere1 in ,may and ,june1 is         
quietness2 here at this season these    
hosts of lovely flowers are indeed 8born
 to blush unseen0 and1 in ,man's        
arrogant phrase1 to 8waste their        
sweetness on the desert air40  ,but what
 nonsense it is1 this assumption that   
the flowers are wasted if not seen by   
us6 ,it is not for that reason we should
 be here3 it is not because the flowers 
would benefit one iota by our presence4 
,what is it to them whether they have1  

or have not been seen by ,man8 8,we are 
what suns and winds and waters make us10
 they say2 and1 in saying thus1 they    
speak but the substantial truth4 ,their 
history is one of strenuous             
self-endeavour2 their unique and        
dazzling loveliness they have attained  
8alone10 oblivious of ,man's presence in
 the world4 ,after age-long effort1 from
 which their remarkable happiness and   
beauty are the primest distillations1   
,man stumbles upon them in their        
radiance1 declares they are languishing 
for want of his admiration1 and at once 
commiserates with them upon their lone  
and wasted lot4 ,what fond presumption6 
,how typically human6  ,is there not    
proof abundant of ,nature's 8profuse    
indifference to mankind80 ,why1 then1   
should ,man assume that all things are  
made for him8 why1 in his small1 lordly 
way1 should he say--as he is for ever   
saying--8,the sun1 the moon1 the stars1 
have their raison d'tre in ,me80 ,in a  
sense he is right1 but not in the       

arrogant sense he so much presumes4 ,all
 things help to make him4 ,the sun1     
moon1 and stars are for him1 inasmuch as
 he would not be what he is--he would   
not1 probably1 be ,man--did they not    
exist4 ,but neither1 then1 would the    
black-beetle be as it is4 ,do not let   
him forget the high claims of the       
black-beetle4      8,man stands so large
 before the eyes of man     ,he cannot  
think of ,earth but as his own2     ,all
 his philosophies can guess no plan     
,that leaves him not on his imagined    
throne40  ,let us be humble3 let us     
merge ourselves modestly in the scheme  
of things4 ,it is not to cheer up the   
flowers in their 8loneliness0 that we   
ought to be with them here in the       
spring4 ,we ought to be here because of 
all that the flowers and their          
loveliness can do for us1 in lifting us 
above 8the essential vulgarity of a     
plutocratic society10 and in revealing  
us to ourselves and to each other as    
rarely we are revealed elsewhere4 ,here 

with these pastures are health and      
vigour--vigour that is quiet and        
restful2 here is unpretentiousness more 
radiant1 more glorious1 than the most   
dazzling of pretensions4 ,here1 if we   
will1 we can come and be natural--here1 
where ,man1 that 8feverish1 selfish     
little clod of ailments and grievances10
 as ,mr4 ,bernard ,shaw calls him1 can  
be in the fullest sense a man1 and be in
 no wise ashamed of it4 ,for here1 in a 
word1 is ,nature--unaffected1           
unconventional1 unconscious of herself1 
yet in the highest degree efficient4    
,the purity of it all is wonderful4 ,and
 it is this1 with its beneficent power1 
that we waste4  ,if spring is reckoned  
pure below1 among 8the foul miasmas that
 cling to the lowest bottoms of reeking 
valleys10 how much purer must it not be 
reckoned under ,alpine skies6 ,the      
amelioration is already marked after we 
have risen a few hundred feet from the  
plains4 ,our minds climb with our       
bodies1 both attuning themselves to the 

increasing purity of our surroundings1  
until at some #e1jjj feet we feel1 to   
use a homely expression1 as different as
 chalk from cheese4 ,and nothing aids   
more potently in this attunement than do
 the fields of springtime blossoms4     
8,why bloom'st thou so80 asks the poet  
of these flowers--          8,why       
bloom'st thou so     ,in solitary       
loveliness1 more fair     ,in this thy  
artless beauty1 than the rare     ,and  
costliest garden-plant80  ,the question 
has been answered1 or1 at any rate1     
answered in important part1 and far more
 truthfully than by any blind1          
patronising remark about 8wasted        
beauty40 ,wasted6 ,it is an accusation  
which the flowers should hurl at us6    
,wasted8 ,yes2 wasted1 in so far as we  
do not yet take advantage of the ,alpine
 spring2 wasted1 in so far as we arrive 
only in late ,july or early ,august6    
,nor should our praise be counted       
amongst surprises4 ,champex's fields    
bear witness to it being no mere idle   

adulation4 ,on the flat damp grass-land1
 intersected by sparkling glacier       
streams1 which stretches away to the    
north of the lake1 great and brilliant  
groups of ,caltha palustris 7only the   
common ,marsh-,marigold1 it is true1 but
 of how much more luscious1 brilliant   
hue than down upon some lowland marsh7  
lie upon a vast rosy carpet of ,primula 
farinosa1 effectively broken here and   
there by the rich purple tints of       
,bartsia alpina and the ruddier hues of 
,pedicularis4 ,and this wondrous wealth 
of yellow and rose is found again on the
 extensive sunny slopes to the south of 
the lake2 but here ,gentiana verna      
asserts its bright blue presence amongst
 the ,primula1 and the effect is even   
more astonishingly gay than it is to the
 north4 ,like ,count ,smorltorks        
8poltics10 it 8surprises by himself40   
,on these southern slopes1 too1 are     
quantities of ,micheli's ,daisy1        
enlivening still more with their        
glistening whiteness the beautiful      

colour-scheme4 ,there are also colonies 
of the two ,pinguiculas1 mauve and      
creamy-white2 also of the quaint ,alpine
 ,crowfoot and of the yet more quaint1  
sthetically tinted ,ajuga               
pyramidalis--the most arresting of the  
,bugles--and of the demure little       
,alpine ,polygala1 varying from blue    
7the type7 through mauve to             
reddish-pink1 even to white4 ,here1     
also1 is the ,sulphur ,anemone just     
unfolding the earliest of its clear     
citron-coloured blossoms4 ,but to see   
this ,anemone to fullest advantage we   
must turn to the drier pastures to the  
east and north of the lake1 where it is 
scattered in endless thousands amongst  
sheets of ,gentiana verna and excisa and
 a profusion of the yellow ,pedicularis 
7tuberosa71 the white ,potentilla       
7rupestris71 the golden ,geum           
7montanum71 the purple ,calamintha      
7alpina71 the canary-yellow ,biscutella 
7lvigata71 the rosy-red ,saponaria      
7ocymoides71 and many another of the    

earlier pasture-flowers4 ,and by the    
side of all this ravishing young life   
and colour are the still remaining      
avalanches of piled-up frozen snow--grim
 reminders of what wild riot winter     
makes upon these pastures whilst the    
flowers are sleeping4  ,surely1 then our
 praise is not surprising8 ,surely1     
nowhere in the ,alps in ,may shall we   
find anything more admirable or more    
amazingly colour-full than are these    
pasture-slopes and meadows of ,lac      
,champex8 ,in some one or other respect 
their equal may be found in many        
favoured places2 in many spots we shall 
find most astonishing displays of other 
kinds of plants than we have here--of1  
for instance1 the white ,anemone alpina 
and the purple ,viola calcarata1 as on  
the slopes of the ,chamossaire above    
,villars-sur-,ollon 7though the ,viola  
is in quantity near ,champex1 in the    
,val d',arpette1 in ,june71 or of the   
,pheasant-eye ,narcissus1 as at ,les    
,avants and ,chteau d',oex1 and the     

,daffodil1 as at ,champry and ,saas2    
but1 taking ,champex's floral wealth as 
a whole1 it can have few1 if any        
superiors in point of abundance and     
colour at this early season4 ,mindful of
 what ,mr4 ,reginald ,farrer has said of
 ,mont ,cenis towards the end of ,june1 
we may safely declare that the ,viola   
and ,gentian clothed slopes of that     
district are not the only slopes in the 
,alps which might be 8visible for miles 
away40  ,illustration3 ,,early ,,june   
,,fields beyond ,praz de ,fort in the   
,val ,ferret1 backed by the ,groupe du  
,grand ,saint-,bernard et du ,grand     
,golliaz4   ,perhaps some more          
substantial idea of these fields at this
 season may be gathered from the        
pictures facing pages iii and #c2 but   
these transcriptions1 though to the     
uninitiated they may appear reckless    
with regard to truth1 are really far    
from adequate4 ,seeing the thing itself 
must1 in this case1 alone bring entire  
belief and understanding4 8,colour1 the 

soul's bridegroom10 is so abounding1 so 
fresh1 light1 joyful1 and enslaving1    
that1 after all has been said and done  
to picture it1 one sits listless1       
dejected and despairing over one's tame 
and lifeless efforts2 one feels that it 
must be left to speak for itself in its 
own frank1 dreamland language--language 
at once both elusive and comprehensible4
 ,the soul of things is possessed of an 
eloquent and secret code which is every 
whit its own2 and the soul of these     
fields is no exception4 ,in spite of    
,wordsworth1 there is1 and there must   
be1 8need of a remoter charm02 there is1
 and there must be1 an 8interest        
unborrowed from the eye02 and it is just
 this vague1 appealing 8something0--this
 8something0 so real as to transcend    
what is known as reality--which speaks  
to us and invades us in the bright and  
intimate presence of these hosts of     
,alpine flowers4  ,in rural parts of    
,england spring is said to have come    
when a maiden's foot can cover seven    

daisies at once on the village green4   
,why1 when spring had come here1 on     
these ,alpine meadows1 ,i was putting my
 foot 7albeit of goodlier proportions   
than a maiden's7 upon at least a score  
of ,gentians6 ,whilst painting the study
 of ,sulphur ,anemones 7facing page #if7
 about ,may #bj1 my feet1 camp-stool1   
and easel were perforce crushing dozens 
of lovely flowers--flowers which in     
,england would have been fenced about   
with every sort of reverence4 ,but      
sacrifice is the mot d'ordre of a live  
and useful world2 worship at any shrine 
is accompanied by some 8hard dealing02  
and1 sadly as it went against the grain1
 there was no gentler way in which ,i   
could effect my purpose4  ,looking at   
the close-set masses of blossom1 it is  
difficult to realise into what these    
slopes and fields will develop later on4
 ,there seems no room for a crop of     
hayfield grass4 ,amid this neat and     
packed abundance there seems no possible
 footing for a wealth of greater        

luxuriance4 ,and yet1 in a few weeks'   
time1 these fields will have so changed 
as to be scarcely recognisable4 ,what we
 see at present1 despite its ubiquity1  
is but a moiety of all they can produce4
 ,june and ,july will border upon a     
plethora of wonders1 though they will   
not perhaps be rivals to the exquisite  
charm of ,may4     ,,chapter ,,iv  ,,the
 ,,vernal ,,gentian      8,divin tre    
d'azur au cur pur qui scintille1        
,vis tranquille et joyeux sur le riant  
coteau1     ,car partout1 fleur du ciel1
 o ta couronne brille       ,elle       
enfante la joie et luit comme un        
flambeau40                              
,,henry ,,correvon4   ,do you ask what  
the ,alps would be without the          
,edelweiss8 ,ask1 rather1 what they     
would be without the little ,vernal     
,gentian6 ,ask what would be the slopes 
and fields of ,alpine ,switzerland      
without this flower of heaven-reflected 
blue1 rather than what the rocks and    
screes and uncouth places would be      

without ,leontopodium alpinum of bloated
 and untruthful reputation4 ,ask what   
,alpland's springtide welcome and       
autumnal salutation would be if shorn of
 this little plant's bright azure       
spontaneity2 ask where would be spring's
 eager joyfulness1 and where the ready  
hopefulness of autumn4 ,ask yourself    
this1 and then the ,edelweiss at once   
falls back into a more becoming         
perspective with the landscape1 into a  
less faulty pose among the other        
mountain flowers4  ,perhaps it is not   
very venturesome to think that if the   
,edelweiss had become extinct1 and were 
now to be found only amid the fastnesses
 of legend1 it would live quite as      
securely in the hearts of men as it does
 at present2 for its repute rests mostly
 upon the fabulous4 ,but how different  
is the case of the earliest of the      
,gentians6 ,here is a plant which1      
despite the romance-breeding nature of  
its habit1 form1 and colour1 draws      
little or nothing from legendary        

sources4 ,fable has small command where 
merit is so marked2 imagination is      
outstripped by reality1 and there is    
scarcely room for invention where truth 
is so arresting1 so pronounced4         
,gentiana verna flies no false colours4 
,its flower is a flower1 and not for the
 greater part an assemblage of          
hoary-haired leaves4 ,it inspires in men
 no performance of mad gymnastics on the
 precipice's brink and brow2 it wears1  
therefore1 no halo of unnecessary human 
sacrifice4 ,it is not a tender token of 
attachment among lovers4 ,it does not   
live in myth1 nor has it an important   
place in folk-lore4 ,in short1 it is    
just its own bright1 fascinating self2  
there is nothing of blatant notoriety   
about its renown1 no suspicion of a     
succs de scandale such as the ,edelweiss
 can so justly claim4  ,we may laud the 
,edelweiss as a symbol of advanced      
endeavour1 but the ,gentian is more     
useful1 if not1 indeed1 worthier1 in    
this respect2 for it marks no great     

extreme and therefore its condition is  
symbolic of less that is incompatible   
with consistent human effort4 ,ruskin   
has somewhere said that the most        
glorious repose is that of the chamois  
panting on its bed of granite1 rather   
than that of the ox chewing the cud in  
its stall2 but1 however transcendentally
 true this may be1 the actually glorious
 position lies midway betwixt the       
two--the position of the ,gentian in    
relation with1 for instance1 the        
positions of the ,edelweiss and the     
,primrose4 ,we are likely to derive     
inspiration of more abundant practical  
value from the ,gentian than from the   
,edelweiss1 because there is            
comparatively little about it that is   
extreme4 ,though advanced in            
circumstance it is reasonably situated2 
it leads1 therefore1 to no such flagrant
 inconsistency with facts1 no such      
beating of the drum of romance as1      
apparently1 we find so necessary in the 
case of ,leontopodium4 ,the ,edelweiss  

is not all it seems2 the ,gentian is4   
8,il ne suffit pas d'tre1 il faut       
paratre02 and this1 certainly1 the      
little ,vernal ,gentian does4 ,in not   
one single trait does it belie the high 
colour of its blossom4  ,with what      
curiously different craft do each of    
these flowers play upon the emotions6   
,with what contrary art does each make  
its appeal to our regard and adulation6 
,to each we may address ,swinburne's    
stately lines3 to each we may1 and do   
exclaim3      8444 with my lips ,i      
kneel1 and with my heart     ,i fall    
about thy feet and worship thee 4440    
,yet this act of adoration1 when it     
affects the ,edelweiss1 seems far more  
an act of idolatry than it does when it 
affects the ,gentian4 ,for on the one   
hand we have the ,edelweiss stirring the
 imagination to wild1 foolhardy flights 
amid the awesome summer haunts of the   
eagle and the chamois1 when1 in simple  
reality1 we could if we would be        
reposing amongst hundreds of its woolly 

stars upon some gentle pasture-slope    
away from the least hint of danger and  
of scandale2 while on the other hand we 
have the ,vernal ,gentian calling us at 
once in all frankness to accept it as it
 is--one of the truest and loveliest    
marvels of the ,alps1      8444 the fair
 earth's fond expression     ,of        
tenderness for heaven above 44406  ,to  
each do we accord1 as ,mr4 ,augustine   
,birrell would say1 8a mass of greedy   
utterances02 to each do we lose our     
hearts2 but only to one do we lose our  
heads4 ,and that one is the ,edelweiss3 
the plant of leaves which ape a flower2 
the plant whose flower is as            
inconspicuous as that of our common ,sun
 ,spurge2 the plant that would have us  
forget its abundance on many a pasture1 
and think of it only as clinging        
perilously to high-flung cliffs where   
browse the chamois and where nest the   
choughs4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,the ,gentian ,family as a 
whole is possessed of very striking     

individuality1 and for the most part its
 members arrest more than usual         
attention4 ,its name is said to be      
derived from ,gentius1 ,king of         
,illyria1 who is reputed to have first  
made known its medicinial               
properties--tonic1 emetic1 and narcotic4
 ,although it ranges from ,behring's    
,straits to the ,equator and on to the  
,antipodes1 its residence is mainly     
northern4 ,in ,new ,zealand its chief   
colour is red2 in ,europe blue2 and of  
all its blue ,european representatives  
none can eclipse perennial verna's      
radiant star4  ,the ,vernal ,gentian is 
no stranger to ,england1 though1 as an  
indigenous plant1 it is a stranger to   
most ,englishmen4 ,it is still to be    
found on wet limestone rocks in         
,northern ,england 7,teesdale7 and also 
in the north-west of ,ireland4 ,like    
,gentiana nivalis of the small band of  
,alpine annuals and tiniest of the      
blue-starred ,gentians1 it lingers in   
the ,british ,isles1 a rare1 pathetic   

remnant of past salubrity of climate and
 condition2 and to its homes in ,england
 and ,ireland1 rather than in           
,switzerland1 we should perhaps go to   
study how to grow it in our gardens more
 successfully than we do at present4    
,but it is to the ,alps that we must    
turn to find it revelling wealthily in a
 setting for which it is pre-eminently  
suited2 it is there that its      8444  
living flowers     ,of loveliest blue1  
spread garlands at your feet40  ,for1 in
 the ,alps1 it is an abundant denizen of
 the pastures in general3 both the      
grazing pastures or 8,alps10 and 8the   
artificial modifications of the         
pastures10 as ,mr4 ,newell ,arber calls 
the meadows4  ,illustration3 ,the       
,,paradise ,,lily 7,paradisia           
,liliastrum7 near the ,glacier de       
,trient about the middle of ,june4   ,if
 we wanted to give this ,gentian an     
,english name 7and far be it from me to 
suggest that we should do any such      
thing7 we should probably have to call  

it ,spring-,felwort2 ,felwort being an  
old-time title for ,gentiana amarella1  
an annual herb common to dry pastures   
and chalk downs in ,england1 and        
possibly at one time employed by        
tanners4 ,in the ,jura ,mountains verna 
goes by the name of il-de-chat1 and     
among the peasants inhabiting the       
northern side of the ,dent du ,midi1 in 
the ,canton de ,valais1 ,i have heard it
 referred to as ,le ,bas du ,bon ,dieu2 
but1 considering the remarkably         
suggestive character of the plant1 the  
domain of folk-lore seems curiously     
empty of its presence4 ,this1 possibly1 
is in part due to its amazing abundance1
 and to the fact that it is to be found 
from about #a1bjj feet to about #aj1jjj 
feet1 thus causing it to meet with the  
proverbial fate of things familiar4     
,but1 at any rate1 its dried flowers1   
mixed with those of the ,rhododendron   
and the purple ,viola1 are used in the  
form of 8tea0 by the montagnards as an  
antidote for chills and rheumatism4     

,the appearance of verna upon the       
pastures is not confined solely to the  
early springtime2 though this is the    
season of its greatest wealth1 it may be
 met with quite commonly in the late    
autumn4 ,indeed it affects the days     
which circle round the whole of winter2 
and ,i have found it several times even 
at ,christmas near ,arveyes1 above      
,gryon 7,vaud71 upon steep              
southward-facing banks where sun and    
wind combined to chase away the snow4   
,if1 then1 for no other reason than     
this1 it seems curious that romance has 
not gathered this ,gentian under its    
wing as it has the ,edelweiss4  ,as for 
the radiant purity of its five-pointed  
azure stars1 it is perhaps only outshone
 by that of the ,myosotis-like flowers  
of ,eritrichium nanum1 ,king of the     
,alps2 but even this rivalry is doubtful
 when verna is growing upon a limestone 
soil1 where its blossoms are more       
brilliant than those produced upon      
granitic ground4  ,blue1 however1       

although it is the superabundant        
type-colour1 is not the invariable hue  
of its blossoms2 indeed1 it shows more  
variety than even many a botanist       
suspects1 and ,i have found it in all   
tints from deep ,french to pale         
,cambridge blue1 from rich red-purple to
 the palest lilac1 and from the faintest
 yellow-white1 through blush-white1 to  
the purest blue-white4 ,i have1 too1    
found it party-coloured1 blue-and-white4
  ,these many variations from the type  
give occasion for suggestive questions  
that ,i fain would indicate1 because ,i 
believe with ,mr4 ,arber that such      
variations can only 8arise from         
deep-seated tendencies1 which find their
 expression in the existence of the     
individual1 and the evolution of the    
race40 ,for instance1 are the mauve and 
plum-coloured flowers a break-back to   
the ancestral type2 that is to say1 was 
the more primitive verna red8 ,blue     
flowers are more highly organised than  
those of other colours2 are1 then1 all  

flowers striving to be blue--like       
,emerson's grass1 8striving to be man80 
,the ,french-blue ,gentians are of      
warmer tint than those of ,cambridge    
hue2 are they1 therefore1 the first     
decided step into this highest of the   
primary colours3 are they the first     
strikingly victorious effort of the     
plant to shake off all trammel of red8  
,and white2 what of white8 ,i have seen 
white verna tinged with rose1 and white 
verna of a white altogether free from   
any tint of grossness--a white so       
positive as to suggest the utmost       
frailty arising from degeneracy1 if it  
were not known to be the natural        
consequence of persistent advance       
through blue4 ,these are nice points for
 speculation4  ,but 8let us not rove2   
let us sit at home with the cause06     
,blue for us is the essential colour for
 this ,gentian3 we can dispense with all
 its efforts to be white4 ,blue1 not    
white1 is the hue of promise4 ,and it is
 promise we look for at the turn of the 

year2 it is promise we must have after  
long months of snow4 ,when youthful     
8chevalier ,printemps0 hymns us his     
ancient message2 when in penetrating    
accents of triumph he tells us3         
8,c'est moi que ,dieu sur terre envoie  
,dans un rayon de son soleil     ,pour  
mettre la terre en joie1     ,pour faire
 un monde tout vermeil4     ,quand      
l'hiver m'a cri #8qui vive6'     ,j'ai  
dit3 #8,fais-moi place1 il est temps6   
,du ,paradis tout droit j'arrive3       
,je suis le chevalier ,printemps6'0     
--when1 ,i say1 spring thus speaks to us
 of the rout of winter and the dawn of a
 wealthier life1 it is blue that we look
 for most upon the frost-stained fields2
 blue not white--the blue of the        
type-flowered ,gentian1 not the white of
 the ,alpine ,crowfoot and ,crocus4     
,whilst writing these lines on the most 
fascinating spring flower of the ,alps1 
there comes before my mind one spot in  
particular where it abounds in ,may--a  
certain long and rapid grassy slope at  

,le ,planet1 above ,argentire           
7,haute-,savoie74 ,albeit not in        
,switzerland1 ,le ,planet is only just  
across the frontier2 and1 as every one  
who knows the district will attest1 it  
is difficult to draw a rigid1 formal    
line where flowers and mountains are so 
knit in common semblance4 ,other rich   
scenes of azure ,i can recall--as on the
 swelling slopes of the ,jura around the
 ,suchet1 or on the fields which mount  
from ,naters towards ,bel-,alp2 but none
 forces itself to mind with such        
persistence as does this slope at ,le   
,planet4 ,and it is because the         
surrounding circumstance illustrates so 
well all that ,i have been saying about 
this ,gentian's presence in the spring4 
,the slope in question is not five      
minutes' stroll from the hotel4 ,on the 
plateau itself verna is all but absent1 
but on this broad and steep incline it  
congregates in such amazing numbers     
that1 as ,i think on it1 ,i am sure all 
,i have said of this witching flower is 

poor and paltry4 ,after all1 verbal     
magniloquence is perhaps out of place1  
and simplicity is the best translator of
 such magnificence4 ,all shades of      
brightest blue are here presented2 for1 
excepting a few pale plum-coloured      
clusters1 the brilliant type-flower is  
ubiquitous1 blending delightfully with  
the little yellow ,violet and with the  
white1 fluffy seedheads of the          
,coltsfoot4  ,but what1 perhaps1 makes  
this particular slope so appropriate in 
point of illustration for this chapter  
is1 that above it towers the mighty     
,aiguille ,verte1 decked as in winter   
with its snows and ice1 and in the      
foreground lies the frozen remains of a 
great avalanche strewn with fallen rocks
 and pierced by stricken larch-trees4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,yes2 from the lichen1 ,umbilicaria     
virginis1 the furthest outpost of       
vegetable life as it clings to the      
,jungfrau's awful rocks at an altitude  
of #ac1jjj feet1 to the yellow ,primrose

 of the woods and meadows of the plains1
 there is no plant of ,alpland that is  
so precious1 so rare in its very        
abundance as ,gentiana verna4 ,nor is   
there another ,alpine that can make so  
wide and so certain an appeal4 ,spread  
broadcast and alone upon the awakening  
turf of mountain slope and meadow1 it   
captivates the instant attention of even
 the merest passer-by4 ,and if amongst  
its abounding azure there happens1 as   
will often be the case1 a vigorous      
admixture of healthy rose and           
yellow--the rose of the ,mealy or       
,bird's-eye ,primula1 the yellow of the 
,sulphur ,anemone and ,marsh            
,marigold--then this were a scene to    
8make the pomp of emperors ridiculous02 
a scene of subtly true magnificence1 of 
perfectly balanced delight4  ,see the   
,vernal ,gentian as it lies thus        
bountifully set1 a radiant blue carpet  
of heavenly intensity1 backed           
majestically by winter's receding snows 
on mighty glacier and stupendous peak2  

note its myriad white-eyed1 crulean     
blossoms over which hover with tireless 
wing its faithful1 eager friends1 the   
humming-bird and bee hawk-moths--the    
very picture of security and peace amid 
a scene of awful1 threatening grandeur4 
,listen--listen1 the while1 to the      
thunder coming from 8the vexed paths of 
the avalanches02 listen to the sound of 
falling rock and pine1 and mark the     
great air-tossed cloud of powdered snow2
 listen to the alarm-cry of the speckled
 mountain-jay1 and to the shriek-like   
warning of the marmot2 then tell me if  
there is any other flower that could so 
well play the part of hope-inspiring    
herald to a world as harassed as is that
 of the ,alps in the season that        
surrounds the winter8     ,,chapter ,v  
,,in ,,storm ,,and ,,shine      8,well  
roars the storm to those that hear      
,a deeper voice across the storm40      
,,tennyson4   ,although ,nature is      
moving apace1 and the poet declares he  
has even 8heard the grasses springing   

underneath the snow02 although one set  
of flowers is surplanting another in    
startlingly swift succession1 and the   
first-fruits of the ,alpine year are    
already on the wane1 we will take our   
own time and study this progress with   
deliberate care and attention4 ,we have 
seen ,may smiling2 we ought--nay1 we are
 in duty bound--to see her frowning4    
,like the rcluse of ,walden1 we ought   
each of us to become a 8self-appointed  
inspector of snowstorms and rainstorms40
  ,illustration3 ,,june ,,meadows of    
,salvia1 ,lychnis1 c41 in the ,val      
,ferret1 just before arriving at the    
village of ,praz de ,fort4   ,an        
undoubtedly noble and proper philosophy 
assures us that there is truth and      
beauty in no matter what condition1 and 
that they who see nothing but what is   
tiresome or hideous in certain estates1 
draw the overplus of tiresomeness and   
hideousness from their own selves4      
8,beauty is truth1 and truth is beauty10
 says this philosophy2 8how1 then10 it  

queries1 8can any condition be          
unbeautiful8 ,is it not yourselves who  
are in part lacking in a sense of       
loveliness1 since truth can never really
 be unbeautiful80  ,now1 whatever we    
think of this as a species of sophistry1
 it behoves us to look into it with     
quiet and decent care4 ,an everyday     
world1 deep in its old conventions1 will
 declare that it is certainly straining 
a point to try thus to make all geese   
appear as swans4 ,with the exception of 
the poet minded to verse the innate     
grandeur of gloom1 the entire sublimity 
of storm1 the entrancing mellowness of  
fog and rain1 and the wild joy which    
comes with a blizzard2 or perhaps of the
 painter minded to achieve in paint what
 the poet is doing in ink 7both of them1
 most probably1 contriving their        
rhapsodies within the snug seclusion of 
their rooms7--with the exception of     
these two privileged persons comfortably
 absorbed in justifying a bias1 an      
everyday world1 voting bad weather a    

kill-joy and mar-plot1 will find        
happiness only in avoiding and          
forgetting it4  ,be that as it may2 be  
fog1 wind1 and cloud and driving rain   
and sleet a luxury in which we should   
revel--or not2 of all places in the     
world in bad weather1 the ,alps at      
springtide and at the altitude at which 
we are now studying them1 are probably  
among the most interesting and          
absorbing4 ,let an everyday world1 or as
 much of it as can1 come and judge for  
itself4  ,if in our composition we have 
a grain of love for ,nature and for     
,nature-study1 there is a fund of       
opportunity for exercising it even in   
cloudland at its gloomiest2 and if1 as  
in the present case1 we are bent upon   
studying the flowers and the means for  
their more adequate reception into our  
,english homelands1 then bad weather    
holds for us an amount of experience    
such as will aid us materially in our   
object4 8,inclemency0 takes so large a  
share in the nurture of these flowers4  

,by companying with them when steeped in
 cloud and swept by wind1 we catch an   
important glimpse of the grim and       
forceful side of their existence which  
is a prime cause of the superlative     
loveliness that so impresses us when the
 sun does shine from out an immaculate  
azure4  ,just as the cheese-mite is a   
product of the cheese1 and has attained 
its beauty and efficiency because of the
 nature of cheese1 so are these ,alpines
 the wonderful things they are because  
of the nature of the conditions with    
which they have to contend and upon     
which they have to subsist4 ,it is all  
very well for us to arrive upon the     
scene at this late moment in their      
existence1 transplant them to our       
gardens1 and there grow them1 maybe1    
with marked success2 it is all very well
 for us to annex them now to our retinue
 of chattels1 lord it over them1 and    
display them on our rockworks as if it  
were to us and to our care and trouble  
that they owe their beauty2 but these   

plants have arrived at what they are    
without us and our attentions4 ,our     
gardens never made them what they are1  
or gave them one particle of their      
supreme and striking beauty4 ,nor are   
our gardens likely to heighten that     
beauty in any real way2 much more likely
 is it that we shall arrive at degrading
 their refinement by bringing it down   
from the severe purity of the skies to  
the grosser1 easier circumstance of our 
sheltered soil4  ,alpine plants1 perhaps
 because of the extreme conditions with 
which they have to contend1 and         
therefore because of the extreme        
measures they have to take in order to  
defend themselves1 seem to be possessed 
of an efficiency surpassing that of most
 other plants4 ,they are what incessant 
warfare has made of them2 they delight  
in it4 ,strenuous children of strenuous 
circumstance1 they are self-reliant to a
 degree1 and hold themselves with a     
winning air of independence4 ,but it is 
independence begot of strict dependence2

 they admit as much quite frankly and   
sanely--an admittal of which man might  
well make a note in red ink4 ,nature all
 over the world is saying1 not1 8,let me
 help you to be independent10 but1 8,you
 shall and must depend upon me for your 
independence40 ,and no living things    
have better understood this truth than  
have the ,alpines2 no living things have
 acknowledged and mastered this         
obligation more thoroughly than they4   
,hence their beauty2 hence their        
serenity and 8nerve02 hence their       
8blended holiness of earth and sky40    
,mark with what consummate efficiency   
these ,alpine field-flowers cope with   
stern inclemency4 ,tossed and torn by   
storms for which the ,alps are famous1  
see how they anchor themselves to       
,mother ,earth6 ,washed by torrential   
rains upon the rapid slopes1 or parched 
by the most personal of suns1 small     
wonder that their roots1 in many cases1 
should form by far the greater part of  
their bulk and stature4 ,they recall to 

mind that learned professor who1 wishing
 possibly to postulate something 8new10 
declared to an unconvinced but amused   
world that what it saw of a tree was not
 the tree--the tree was underground4    
,whilst painting in the ,val d',arpette 
in ,june of this year 7#aiaj71 ,i met   
with a striking instance of the         
boisterous treatment to which these     
plants must accustom themselves4 ,the   
day was radiantly fine 7as any one may  
see from the picture facing page #bd71  
yet suddenly1 and without warning1 a    
most violent wind tore through the      
little valley1 sweeping everything loose
 and insecure before it1 upsetting my   
easel and camp-stool1 carrying my       
,panama hat up on to the snow1 and      
making of the ,anemones and ,violas a   
truly sorry sight4  ,this violence1     
albeit of a somewhat different nature1  
reminded me of several experiences ,i   
had had of uncommonly powerful eddies of
 wind1 travelling1 like some waterspout 
at sea1 slowly1 in growling1 whirring   

spirals1 over the steep pastures1       
tearing up the grass and blossoms and   
carrying them straight and high up into 
the air2 whilst all around--except      
myself6--remained unmoved and peaceful4 
,i have seen such eddies strike a       
forest1 shaking and swaying the giant   
pines like saplings1 wrenching off dead 
wood and many a piece of living branch1 
and whirling them aloft4 ,under a       
glorious sky and amid the solitude and  
stillness of the ,alps1 such violence is
 at least uncanny1 if not a little      
unnerving4 ,one is moved to turn in     
admiration to the ever-smiling ,alpines 
and ejaculate3      8,brave             
flowers--that ,i could gallant it like  
you1     ,and be as little vain60  ,with
 this as a sample--and a by no means    
uncommon sample--of what they have to   
withstand1 small wonder that so many of 
these plants have endowed themselves    
with such a deep1 tenacious grip upon   
their home6 ,try with your trowel to dig
 up an entire root of1 for instance1 the

 ,alpine ,clover 7,trifolium alpinum71  
or the ,sulphur ,anemone1 or the        
,bearded ,campanula1 or the tall blue   
,rampion 7,phyteuma betonicifolium71 or 
even so diminutive a plant as ,sibbaldia
 procumbens1 or of so modest a one as   
,plantago alpina1 and you will be       
astounded at the depth to which you must
 delve4 ,you will find it the same with 
a hundred other subjects2 and1 unless   
you be digging in some loose and gritty 
soil1 most probably your amazement will 
end in despair1 and in destruction to   
the plant4 ,more likely than not1 you   
will hack through the main root long    
before you have unearthed the end of it4
 ,if for no other reason than this1     
then1 it is at least unwise to try to   
uproot these pasture-flowers4 ,should   
they be required for the home-garden1 it
 is far wiser and better behaviour to   
gather seed from them later in the      
season4 ,most of them grow admirably    
from seed thus gathered and sown as soon
 as possible2 most of them develop      

rapidly and blossom within two years2   
and with this grand advantage over      
uprooted plants--they are able to       
acclimatize themselves from birth to    
their new conditions and surroundings1  
their translation being no rude and     
abrupt transition from one climate to   
another4  ,in this and in many other    
directions1 it is when bad weather      
sweeps the ,alps that we can perhaps    
best learn from ,nature what ,emerson   
learnt from her3 that 8she suffers      
nothing to remain in her ,kingdom which 
cannot help itself40 ,and1 in learning  
how these plants help themselves1 we are
 also learning how best we can help them
 when we remove them to our gardens4    
,bad weather is the greatest of teachers
 all the world over4 ,on sunny days we  
enjoy and admire what is very largely   
the product of the storms4  ,everything1
 even the worst thing1 in its place1 is 
a good thing4 ,as all sunshine and no   
storm would make man a nonentity1 so    
would it produce ,alpines devoid of     

their present great ability and         
comeliness4 ,a thing of complete beauty 
is a thing of all weathers2 and it is a 
thing of present joy1 and of joy for    
ever1 because of much anguish in the    
past4 ,you and ,i could see nothing of  
loveliness if it were not for ugliness2 
and these ,alpines would not be worth   
looking at were it not for the awful    
attempts made by ,nature to overwhelm   
them4 8,a perpetual calm will never make
 a sailor02 or1 as ,mr4 ,dooley says1   
8,foorce rules the wurruld0--and keeps  
it peacefully disturbed1 bewitchingly   
8alive40  ,and ,alpine inclemency       
possesses an sthetic value which is as  
important as it is alluring4 ,whether   
8in the smiles or anger of the high     
air10 these flower-fields are invariably
 things of beauty2 even as the diamond  
glitters in the gloom1 so do these      
pastures shine throughout the storm4    
,what could be more sthetically         
beautiful than the rosy expanses of     
,mealy ,primrose bathed in dense1       

driving mists1 or 7as in the picture    
facing page #af7 the regiments of       
,globe-,flower1 standing pale but       
fascinating1 in weather which1 were we  
down on the plains1 we should consider  
8not fit for a dog to be abroad in08 ,or
 what more winsome than the widespread  
colonies of ,bartsia1 ,micheli's ,daisy1
 ,pedicularis1 ,biscutella1 and         
,bell-,gentian 7,gentiana verna1        
unfortunately1 is closed when the sun   
hides itself71 lying subdued but        
colour-full beside the steaming waters  
of the lake8  ,illustration3 ,field of  
,,campanula ,,rhomboidalis on the ,col  
de la ,forclaz1 about the beginning of  
,july4   ,ah6 where one of these ,alpine
 lakes is in the landscape1 what wonders
 of ,nature's artistry we may watch when
 rough winds howl and toss the seething 
cloud into ever-changing combinations of
 tint1 form1 and texture6      8,with   
how ceaseless motion1 with how strange  
,flowing and fading1 do the high ,mists 
range     ,the gloomy gorges of the     

,mountains bare06  ,a hundred hues of   
grey fill the vapour-laden air and are  
mirrored in receptive waters--hues with 
which the fresh rose of the ,primula and
 the rich1 full yellow of the           
,marsh-,marigold blend with perfect     
felicity1 lending that touch of human   
appeal which makes the scene ideal4     
,the forests1 too1 are never so         
picturesque as when clouds cling to the 
pine and larch1 softening the tone and  
carriage of these somewhat formal trees1
 and breaking up every suggestion of    
monotony in their reiterated masses4 ,a 
soft1 weird1 intimately mysterious      
beauty reigns over everything4 ,what    
matter the winds and the rains if they  
bring us such expression8 ,by what is   
regret justified in all this witchery8  
,regret that the sun no longer shines1  
inducing the ,vernal ,gentian to open   
wide its bright blue eyes8 ,nay2 here1  
in ,alp-land1 if nowhere else1 does an  
ultimate philosophy speak possibly of   
what is actual2 here1 if nowhere else1  

bad weather is but a delightful foil to 
bright and sunny days4 ,regret6 ,there  
is no right room for such repining3 no  
sound and balanced reason to moan1 as   
moans1 for instance1 the ,chinese poet3 
8,if only to darken the darkness1 ,o    
,thou in ,thy heavens above1     ,why   
dost ,thou light for a moment the lamp  
of a beautiful thing80  ,for in the     
,alps the lamp of ,beauty burns without 
cessation2 and where wondrous flowering 
pastures border some rough-cut lake1    
legacy from glaciers long since retired1
 the lamp burns always brightly4  ,by   
writing of inclemency in such           
full-flavoured tones1 ,i am not trying  
to make the best of a bad case2 ,i am   
simply and honestly setting forth the   
undoubted good there is in what may seem
 8impossible40 ,any one who has lived   
with these things and has watched them  
springtime after springtime1 is usually 
in no way eager to run away1 although   
well aware that the sheltered           
distractions of the towns are within    

quite easy reach4 ,one finds no really  
compensating counterpart in kursaals and
 shop-windows for an ,alpine springtime 
where flowering pastures kiss 8the      
crystal treasures of the liquid world40 
,one need not be a poet1 one need not be
 a painter1 one need not be a mystic1   
and one certainly need be no            
8neurasthenic0 to appreciate the        
figurative sunshine of which spring's   
,alpine inclemency is redolent4 ,one has
 but to be natural--a sanely-simple     
human being1 dismissing the hampering   
prejudices and conventions born of      
towns1 and allowing the appeal of       
,nature to come freely into its own4    
,then oneself is busy                   
a-weaving--a-weaving of cobweb dreams2  
and the cobwebs are woven of material   
worthy1 substantial1 and real4 ,one's   
dreams are not of that solid1 sordid    
order1 nor of that frail1 unhealthy     
nature so common with dreams arising    
from unnatural town-life4 ,they are     
children of completest sanity1 and they 

are in no part begot of ennui4 ,one     
builds1 and one builds for health's     
sake2 nor does the building know aught  
of 8castles in ,spain40 ,there is no    
question here of anmic fancy4 ,all that 
one dreams is not only possible1 but    
sound1 touching upon realities which    
control and direct the best of          
destinies4 ,compared with town-life1 one
 is in a new world2 and it is often     
astounding to think that town-life is a 
necessity to which one is obliged to add
 the important word 8imperative40  ,and 
all this may be so even in wet weather4 
,here1 even when clouds hold everything 
in damp and clinging embrace1 we may    
8,grow rich in that which never taketh  
rust40  ,and grow rich quite            
comfortably2 for have we not our        
mackintoshes and goloshes6  ,the ,alps  
are not ours for climbing purpose only4 
,they are not for us only when winter   
rules and gives us sports abounding1 or 
when the snows retire to the cradles of 
the glaciers1 and the days of late ,july

 and those of ,august and ,september    
grant us the conditions we most seek for
 long excursions4 ,they are ours also   
for an intermediate season3 a season of 
the utmost value1 though1 maybe1 not for
 8sport40 ,mr4 ,frederic ,harrison1     
speaking of 8the eternal mountains1     
vocal with all the most majestic and    
stirring appeals to the human spirit10  
and of the treatment of them by those   
who think only of 8rushing from pass to 
pass and from peak to peak in order to  
beat ,tompkins time or establish a new  
record10 says3 8,switzerland might be   
made one of the most exquisite schools  
of every sense of beauty1 one of the    
most pathetic schools of spiritual      
wonder40 ,and ,mr4 ,harrison is right3  
this school exists1 and is no mere      
fiction wrought of sentimental thinking4
 ,nor is it ever closed to              
students--although there be periods when
 the attendance is lamentably slack4 ,we
 know that its doors stand wide open in 
the winter and in the summer2 let it be 

known1 and as well known1 that they     
stand equally wide open in the spring4  
,let it be known1 moreover1 that in     
spite sometimes of fickle1 fitful       
weather1 it is in the spring1 above all 
other seasons1 that this school is 8one 
of the most exquisite schools of every  
sense of beauty1 one of the most        
pathetic schools of spiritual wonder40  
99       99       99       99       99  
,then once again1      8,the sunlight1  
leaping from the ,heights1     ,flames  
o'er the fields of ,may1                
,and butterflies and insect mites1      
,born with the new-blown day1     ,cross
 fires in shifting opal lights     ,from
 spray to beckoning spray10  and we are 
aware that during the brief period of   
inclemency a very astonishing change has
 been taking place in our surroundings  
under cover of the heavy mists4 ,nature 
has been speedily busy1 robing the      
fields in garments fit for ,june4       
,before the mists closed down upon us a 
few days ago insect-life was noticeable 

mostly by its scarcity4 ,except for the 
,orange-,tip and ,dingy ,skipper        
butterflies1 and for the ,skipper-like  
moth1 ,euclidia ,mi1 flitting among the 
,saponarias1 ,daisies1 and ,geums1 and  
for a dainty milk-white spider on the   
rosy heads of ,primula farinosa1 there  
was little of 8life0 among the flowers4 
,but now the butterflies are legion1 a  
brilliant pea-green spider has joined   
the white one1 and lustrous little      
beetles--among the most beautiful of    
,alpine creatures--are either frolicking
 or basking in the glorious sunshine on 
the wild ,peppermint and other fragrant 
herbs4 ,as for the flowers themselves1  
they have more than doubled in kind1 if 
not actually in beauty and in number4   
,indeed1 there is such transformation in
 the meadows as makes us rub our eyes   
and wonder if we have not slept the     
sleep of ,rip van ,winkle6 ,the         
,gentians have all but gone1 the        
,anemone also1 and ,primula farinosa has
 become most rare4 ,in their places     

stand the ,globe-,flower1 the ,bistort1 
the ,paradise ,lily 7barely open71 the  
,sylvan ,geranium1 the blue ,centaurea1 
and the pale yellow ,biscutella1 while  
the last blossoms of ,anemone sulphurea 
have been joined by the exquisite       
blush-tinted heads of ,anemone          
narcissiflora4 ,it is as though some    
curtain had rolled swiftly up upon      
another landscape--one which1 as we are 
but human1 we must applaud more         
rapturously than we did the last4 ,for--
      8,to-day fresh colours break the  
soil1 and butterflies take wing         
,down broidered lawns all bright with   
pearls in the garden          of the    
,king40  ,and although we still may say 
we are in dainty ,may1 more than the toe
 of our best foot is already in gorgeous
 ,june4     ,,chapter ,,vi  ,,the ,,june
 ,,meadows      8,the showers are over1 
the skiffing showers1     ,come1 let us 
rise and go     ,where the happy        
mountain flowers1     ,children of the  
young ,june hours1     ,in their sweet  

haunts blow40                           
,,principal ,,shairp4   8,on prte aux   
riches10 and here is ,nature lending yet
 more wealth to fields that were already
 so wealthy6 ,it is simply amazing with 
what doting enthusiasm she pours her    
floral riches upon the ,alps6 ,many who 
know only the ,june fields in ,england  
think that we who write of the ,swiss   
fields at this season are either in a   
chronic state of hysteria1 or else do   
wilfully point our story as if it were a
 snake story or the story of a          
tiger-hunt4 ,but1 let the fact be known1
 in writing or speaking upon this       
subject1 the exigencies of the ,english 
language oblige us to be temperate2 it  
is quite impossible to exaggerate4 ,we  
may use all the adjectives in ,webster1 
yet have we not even then said enough4  
,acutely conscious of our ineffectual   
effort1 we have1 nevertheless1 done our 
best4 ,we could say no more3 the rest we
 must feel1 and endeavour that our      
readers shall feel with us4             

,illustration3 ,in the ,,early ,,july   
,,fields at ,champex4  ,maybe it is with
 us as it was with ,robert ,louis       
,stevenson when he was at ,davos in     
search of a remedy for the malady that  
afterwards drove him to ,samoa and to an
 early grave upon her mountains--maybe  
all our 8little fishes talk like        
whales02 but1 believe us1 whale-talk is 
the only talk befitting4 ,if ,stevenson 
finds 8it is the ,alps who are to       
blame10 we find it is quite as much the 
fault of the ,alpine flora2 and if      
,stevenson found comfort in the fact    
that he was not alone in being forced to
 8this yeasty inflation1 this stiff and 
strutting architecture of the sentence10
 so also can we4  ,we ,english are not  
the only ones to find ourselves at the  
ineffectual extreme of language4 ,the   
,german tourist--and he is nowadays more
 enterprisingly early than are we in    
visiting the ,alps--is equally at a     
loss1 as he stands in wonderment and1   
with characteristic emphasis1 repeatedly

 utters the one resounding word         
8,kolossal60 ,even the ,englishman loses
 his habitual reserve1 and1 if he does  
not voice his wonderment as loudly as   
does his ,teutonic brother1 he is at    
least amazed in his own insular way4    
,assuredly1 if these flowers themselves 
could speak1 and speak out frankly1 they
 would declare our seemingly            
over-coloured appreciation a very tame  
performance2 they would vouch that we   
are a long way from being in the shoes  
of the proverbial amateur fisherman4    
,but let me1 without further ado1       
attempt to describe some of the cause   
for this4 ,let me turn again for example
 to ,champex and to notes made on the   
spot1 and speak of a seven-hours' walk  
down the rapid southern slopes which    
fall away from the lake1 by the village 
of ,prassorny1 along the ,val ,ferret to
 ,praz de ,fort and the massif of       
,saleinaz1 and back again to ,champex by
 that scramble of a path which mounts   
the slopes directly from the village of 

,ville d',issert4 ,this walk takes us   
from #d1hjj feet down to some #c1cjj    
feet1 and affords us as representative a
 range of slopes and fields as we could 
find anywhere4 ,starting amid rolling   
hectares of ,orchids and ,lilies1       
passing along wide slopes bestrewn with 
,lychnis and ,anthericum1 winding       
through copse and forest-edge peopled   
with ,everlasting ,pea and ,alpine      
,eglantine1 we arrive by entrancing     
stages amid crowded meadows of ,salvia1 
,bistort1 ,ranunculus1 ,campion1        
,marguerite1 ,geranium1 ,campanula1 and 
,phyteuma--meadows which1 in long and   
wide-flung swell1 sweep like a          
multi-coloured wave to lave the snowy   
sides and graceful1 flowing forms of the
 ,groupe du ,grand ,saint-,bernard and  
,grand ,golliaz4  ,used as ,i am to the 
glories of the mountain flora1 ,i am    
moved afresh to wonder each time ,i come
 intimately amongst them1 and such a    
walk as ,i took this day1 the #aeth of  
,june1 is always a revelation4 ,from the

 very start to the very finish there was
 a continuous procession of as amazingly
 rich and variedly coloured fields as1  
surely1 any quarter of the globe would  
find it difficult to surpass4 ,sometimes
 the predominant colour was clear       
yellow1 sometimes rich ,french blue1 and
 not infrequently1 when there was no    
such distinct predominance1 the fields1 
especially when the sun was at the back 
of me1 were as bewildering as1 ,i       
imagine1 would be fields flashing with a
 profusion of every known gem4 ,steep   
grassy slopes--in places almost         
perpendicular2 long1 hot stretches of   
grass-grown grit and rubble2 rich ousy  
dips and hollows2 undulating acres of   
wavy1 feather-light meadows--all were   
decked alike in such kaleidoscopic      
abundance as forced me repeatedly to    
exclaim3 8,oh that some of this         
loveliness could be translated as fields
 to ,england6 ,if only ,england would   
try60  ,here ,i must beg leave to make a
 slight digression from the strictness  

of my subject4 ,at one spot in the steep
 descent1 just outside the tiny hamlet  
of ,prassorny1 ,i came upon a blaze of  
colour which stood out from all else--a 
pre-eminently arresting object in the   
landscape4 ,it was1 of all things1 our  
old friend the scarlet ,field ,poppy6   
,to come upon this inimitable flower    
spread in serried numbers over a large  
square of ground on a steep slope at an 
altitude of over #d1jjj feet1 was not a 
little surprising4 ,waving its          
battalions of fiery blossoms against the
 grey mist-filled valley beneath1 with  
old sun and wind-stained chlets standing
 just beside1 it was an irresistible    
motif for a painter4 ,seemingly as much 
at home as in any field in ,england1 it 
appeared of even greater brilliance than
 with us--having1 perhaps1 caught       
something of the humour of the ,gentian4
 ,that this ,poppy can possibly         
intensify its hue over and above what we
 know it can achieve in the cornfields  
of the plains1 will seem                

incredible--another instance of         
whale-talk on the writer's part6 ,and   
yet such is certainly the case--as1     
indeed1 it is the case with many another
 lowland flower whose powers will allow 
it to climb4 ,these poppies1 here on    
this slope1 stood witness for the fact2 
and so1 too1 did the other lowland      
flowers growing with them4 ,there were  
,cornflowers and ,larkspur of a blue    
more rich and radiant than it is even in
 the plains2 and ,viola tricolor1 too1  
the ,pansy of our own cornfields1 was of
 a purple and yellow more deep than we  
are accustomed to have it4 ,there was1  
also1 the exquisite ,adonis aestivalis  
of most vivid salmon-orange--its dainty 
blossoms standing like fire-flies       
against the rich blue masses of ,salvia 
pratensis4i4  ,yet this was not a       
corn-patch 7one can scarcely call them  
cornfields at this altitude1 where they 
are mere terraces1 many of them1 like   
potato-patches1 standing almost at an   
angle of #de1 carved from out the steep 

mountain-side by generations of thrifty 
peasants74 ,in all probability1 however1
 this particular terrace with its wealth
 of cornfield flowers had in quite      
recent years been sown with oats or rye4
 ,anyway1 it were well worth taking note
 of this ,poppy's presence hereabouts1  
if only because on the slope next door  
was the ,bell-,gentian6  ,after this    
8parenthetic enthusiasm0 over so homely 
an intruder1 we will hie us back to the 
more usual denizens of these slopes and 
fields4 ,perhaps enough has already been
 said to show what a poor thing language
 is when in the presence of such        
splendours as ,june spreads before us in
 the ,alps4 ,very few1 if any1 of the   
flowers were growing singly or even     
sparsely2 they were usually in dense    
bright masses1 or close and broad-spread
 legions1 forming an 8infinite floral   
broidery0 stretching above1 below1 in   
front1 and behind as far as eye could   
reach4 ,what a difficult1 almost        
impossible matter it has been to select 

for pictorial presentation such sections
 of this wealthy panorama as shall give 
some small idea of the whole1 will      
readily be understood4 ,halting         
attempts1 however1 will be found in the 
pictures facing pages #cb and #dh4 ,and 
to supplement and reinforce these1 there
 is1 at the end of this chapter1 a short
 list of the chief grass-land flowers   
met with during my walk4 ,the           
rock-plants1 and those liking the       
poorest of soil1 though they certainly  
add an important quota to the brilliant 
prospect1 have not been taken into      
account1 as they fall somewhat outside  
our present purpose4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,in his    
poem1 8,in ,praise of ,june10 ,leigh    
,hunt sings3      8,may1 by coming first
 in sight1     ,half defrauds thee of   
thy right2     ,for her best is shared  
by thee     ,with a wealthier potency2  
,so that thou dost bring us in     ,a   
sort of ,may-time masculine40  ,but this
 is only in small part true of these    

,alpine fields4 ,there is1 to be sure1  
something of the ,may fields in the     
,june fields1 but all of ,may's best is 
certainly not shared by ,june--not1 that
 is to say1 unless we climb up higher   
than we intend to do4 ,the ,crocus and  
,soldanella have gone2 they came 8to    
show the paths that ,june must tread10  
not to tread those paths with the       
,orchid and the ,lily4 ,gone1 also1 is  
the pure yellow-petalled ,mountain      
,geum4 ,the ,marsh ,marigold1 too1 is no
 longer with us in rich1 golden crowds2 
nor does the ,mealy ,primula spread its 
rosy carpet over acre upon acre4 ,one   
misses1 also1 the bright white presence 
of ,micheli's ,daisy2 and the ,vernal   
,gentian1 8blue with the beauty of      
windless skies10 though still lingering 
here and there1 is1 for the most part1  
hidden by the ,grasses and the ,clovers4
  ,ah6 yes1 the ,clovers--pink1         
rose-red1 crimson1 cream1 white1 yellow3
 we must not forget these6 ,of goodly   
and varied company1 they are such       

important units in the rich composition 
of most ,alpine meadows1 and1 where they
 grow1 they form so compact a groundwork
 of colouring and so admirable a setting
 for many of the taller flowers1 that it
 were1 indeed1 a dereliction of memory  
to overlook them6 ,what could be        
lovelier than a wide area of these      
,clovers in ,june sown with lilac1      
rose-tinted1 and white ,orchids1 deep1  
lustrous-blue ,phyteumas1 paper-white   
,paradise ,lilies1 and infinite hosts of
 the bright and fascinating little      
,euphrasia8 ,or in ,july1 when the      
orange ,arnica1 the porcelain-blue      
,campanula barbata1 and the graceful1   
distinguished-looking little ,thesium   
alpinum make their ever-welcome         
appearance in the fields8 ,of course1   
there are degrees even in natural       
felicity1 and the ,orchids--with the    
exception of the creamy-white ,butterfly
 ,orchis--are not at their best if the  
predominant ,clover be red4 ,but1       
speaking generally1 the groundwork of   

,clovers is a most valuable element in  
the colouring of these pastures4 ,were  
this groundwork removed we should wonder
 why the fields and slopes looked so    
meagre and thin4 ,and this is also true 
of ,euphrasia officinalis1 the          
,eyebright1 a very precious1 though     
humble denizen of the fields in ,july4  
,this plant1 by the way1 owes its       
,english name1 not to its flower 7as in 
the case of the little bright-blue      
,speedwell1 ,veronica ,chamdrys1 often  
erroneously called ,eyebright71 but to  
an infusion of the plant which long ago 
was supposed to cure defective vision4  
,milton1 indeed1 causes the ,archangel  
,michael to use it upon ,adam3      8444
 then purged with ,euphrasy and ,rue    
,the visual nerve1 for he had much to   
see40  ,illustration3 ,,evening among   
the fields of pink ,bistort at ,lac     
,champex2 sunset-glow on the ,grand     
,combin1 ,july4   ,like the ,clovers1   
the ,eyebright should certainly not be  
ignored1 though it is easy to do so4 ,it

 may be numbered amongst those things we
 should miss without being able to say  
what we do miss--those things of a high 
and unobtrusive value1 partly composed  
of half the worth of things in greater  
evidence4 ,in other words1 it is amongst
 those things which1 in a quiet1        
self-effacing way1 enhance their        
surroundings4  ,in applying the term    
8distinguished-looking0 to the little   
,thesium1 ,i am minded to do so because1
 just as with the flowers of the plain1 
there is an lite among ,alpines4 ,one   
can hardly explain why4 ,like the ,roman
 ,emperor who1 when asked to define     
time1 said1 8,i know when you do not ask
 me10 one feels there is an lite among  
flowers1 though one is scarcely able to 
define it4 ,and the feeling is real and 
undoubtedly well-founded4 ,nor1 to feel 
this1 is it necessary to go to florist's
 garden-flowers1 where vulgarity is     
rampant 7though often highly prized and 
priced74 ,the feeling comes in the      
presence of any field of wild           

flowers--the feeling that1 by their form
 and bearing1 some plants are more      
well-bred than others4 ,this cannot be  
altogether accounted for by their colour
 or conspicuousness4 ,the little        
,thesium1 or the little silver-leaved   
,alchemilla are neither of them bright1 
conspicuous plants4 ,it is the general  
habit that impresses3 the 8atmosphere0  
with which they surround themselves4    
,how manifest this is when one meets    
with the ,paradise ,lily surrounded by a
 sea of ,hieracium1 ,bistort1 ,blue     
,bottle1 ,trollius1 ,geranium1 and      
,salvia4 ,one singles out the ,lily at  
once1 though it be close beside the     
exquisite white ,marguerite2 and one's  
heart goes out to it1 above its         
companions1 as a thing of greater       
breeding--a thing taking rank with any  
,llia or ,dendrobium4  ,a cat is not a  
horse because it is born in a stable2   
and all ,alpines are not of the same    
caste because they are born in the      
,alps4 ,among things ,alpine1 as among  

things of the plain1 there is degree in 
attainment4 ,some things have had       
occasion to travel along lines that have
 led them to greater refinement than    
others--just as man1 himself1 is        
evidently the product of particular     
occasion for such travel4 ,we cannot    
blink ourselves to the fact that there  
are weeds even among the                
,alpines--though there are not so many  
as #bhj1 the number said to exist in    
,england4  ,degree in refinement is1    
perhaps1 to some extent indicated by the
 way a plant will take care of itself4  
,all plants have some means of fending  
for themselves1 and these means are as  
varied in morality as are such means    
among human beings4 ,some are born      
fighters1 brazen1 pushing1 and          
quarrelsome2 others win through life by 
comparative self-effacement4 ,some elbow
 their way to any place they want2      
others1 seemingly1 are content to be    
where they are wanted4 ,all1 of course1 
battle more or less faithfully1 but some

 are forceful1 self-assertive1 while    
others resign themselves to             
unobtrusiveness4 ,no plant can accept   
with entire equanimity what does not    
altogether agree with it2 but many can  
rough it1 putting up with conditions    
that will kill others or compel them to 
retire4 ,hence we have weeds3           
rough-souled invaders who make          
themselves too common4  ,although 8the  
invariable mark of wisdom is to see the 
miraculous in the common10 and although1
 therefore1 we may admire1 and quite    
reasonably admire1 all that so capably  
wrestles with extremes of circumstance  
as do the ,alpines1 yet we can and must 
admit that some are more 8classy0 than  
others4 ,for instance1 the ,alpine      
,plantain is1 according to our instinct 
and possibly according to fact1 on a    
lower rung of the ladder of vegetable   
society than is the ,alpine ,auricula4  
,both struggle with much the same       
rigours and disabilities1 but we feel   
obliged to find that the latter has     

evolved greater refinement than the     
former from its struggles4 ,in short1   
,maeterlinck's 8got du mieux de la      
,nature0 is as pronounced in degree     
among ,alpines as it is among valley    
flowers2 there is an aristocracy even in
 the ,alps4  ,and how admirable1 for the
 most part1 are the names these plants  
bear2 how befitting the romantic        
character and circumstance which        
surrounds them4 ,linaria1 ,saponaria1   
,salvia1 ,ajuga1 ,anthyllis1            
,potentilla1 ,artemisia--what could be  
more charming8 ,are they not a thousand 
times more suggestive and more sthetic  
than their ,english                     
counterparts--,toadflax1 ,soapwort1     
,sage1 ,bugle1 ,kidney ,vetch1          
,cinquefoil1 ,wormwood8 ,indeed1 ,i am  
not sure but that1 taking them as a     
whole1 ,latin names are not more        
satisfactory and picturesque for every  
kind of flower--quite apart from the    
important and simplifying question of a 
common vantage ground for gardener1     

scientist1 and general public4 ,the     
anonymous writer of 8,studies in        
,gardening10 an admirable series of     
essays contributed to the ,times1 pleads
 persuasively for the use1 as far as    
possible1 of ,english names in both     
gardening books and papers4 ,he         
holds--and in so doing he is by no means
 singular--that 8the rage for ,latin    
names has gone so far that you will now 
sometimes see lilies called liliums02 he
 bemoans the growing use of ,sedum      
instead of ,stone-crop1 and of          
,antirrhinum instead of ,snapdragon1 and
 he calls it an 8unnecessary use of     
botanical terms10 and thinks that 8the  
want of beautiful ,english names to many
 beautiful flowers seems a reproach to  
their beauty40 ,but there are other     
authorities1 equally numerous1 who hold 
a contrary view1 considering that too   
much is being made of ,english names1   
and that 8confusion worst confounded0 is
 a very natural consequence4 ,one       
catches the sound of more than two      

voices in the discussion3 one hears not 
only the several plaints of botanist and
 flower-lover1 but also the claims of   
the champion of folk-lore1 the mere     
amateur gardener1 the uncompromising    
patriot1 and the incorrigible           
sentimentalist4 ,and something in reason
 is said by each one of them--although  
honours are not so easy as to enable one
 to call it a case of six of one and    
half-a-dozen of the other4 ,for1        
perhaps1 those who strive for a langue  
bleu in this domain and choose ,latin   
have the weightier cause at heart4      
,george ,crabbe1 the poet1 once wrote an
 ,english treatise on botany1 but never 
published it1 because of the            
remonstrances of the ,master of ,trinity
 ,college1 ,cambridge1 who objected to  
degrading the science of botany by      
treating it in a modern language4 ,such 
rigorous adhesion to ,latin is of the   
relatively narrow past2 nor is this dead
 tongue likely ever again to be a       
subject for such blind idolatry4 ,no    

doubt in time a becoming compromise will
 be arrived at by the two camps--a      
compromise that will allow a rose to be 
a rose1 and not oblige it to be always  
and only a ,rosa4  8,men of science are 
pitiless tyrants10 says ,alphonse ,karr 
in 8,les ,fleurs ,animes40 8,see what   
they have done for ,botany1 that        
charming and graceful study6444 ,without
 pity or mercy1 they have brutally      
seized upon the frail daughters of sky  
and dew2 they have crushed and mutilated
 them2 they have thrown them into the   
crucible of ,etymology1 and after all   
these awful tortures1 and as if to      
assure themselves of impunity1 they have
 hidden their victims beneath a heap of 
barbarous names4 ,thus1 thanks to them1 
the ,hawthorn1 that symbol of virginity 
and hope1 sighs under the dreadful name 
,mespilus oxyacantha4444 ,all that is   
frightful1 is it not8444 ,unfortunately1
 it is all very necessary4 ,to admire is
 not to know1 and1 in order to know1    
system and method are indispensable4444 

,how could we do without the help of    
,etymology8 ,pardon1 then1 these men of 
science1 who have done nothing but obey 
the law of necessity1 and enter into the
 beautiful domain from which they have  
dissipated the darkness40 ,this is      
delightfully put and is all very true4  
,latin nomenclature does tend immensely 
to dispel confusion1 though in certain  
quarters it may wound the sense of      
sentiment1 and we shall no doubt always 
have confirmed adherents of popular     
names4  ,but1 however it may be with the
 use of popular names in ,england1 ,i   
venture to think we have better things  
to do than to ,anglicise the ,alpines in
 their ,swiss home1 and that--as says a 
well-known botanist--8when ,english     
names are coined for species which do   
not even occur in ,britain1 the result  
is sometimes ridiculous1 e4g4           
#8,dodonus's ,french ,willow' for an    
,epilobium40 ,and it is not alone       
ridiculous3 it is often paltry and in   
the worst of taste1 and it will         

frequently drive romance and beauty from
 the ,alpine landscape4 ,what is there  
sthetic1 or even useful1 about          
8,mignonette-leaved ,lady's ,smock0 for 
,cardamine resedifolia2 8,neglected     
,pinkwort0 for ,dianthus neglectus2     
8,doronic ,groundsel0 for ,senecio      
,doronicum2 or 8,glacier's ,yarrow0 for 
,achillea nana8 ,are not the ,latin     
names truer and more beautiful8 ,and are
 they not as easy of retention as their 
,english substitutes8 ,shall we say that
 ,campanula barbata is not a truer title
 than 8,bearded ,harebell0 for a plant  
that has nothing of the ,english        
,harebell about it except 8family08 ,or 
shall we say that it is not just as     
easy1 as the botanist already quoted    
points out1 to remember ,atriplex       
deltoidea as 8,deltoid-leaved ,orache08 
,those who1 advocating ,english         
nomenclature to this extent in the      
,alps1 plead the cause of intelligible  
simplicity1 irresistibly recall the     
complicated efforts of those who aim at 

the ,simple ,life4 ,and1 on the whole1  
their efforts are no less ugly4         
,illustration3 ,,haymaking at ,champex  
in the middle of ,july4  ,but let us not
 stand haggling over such contentious   
matter4 ,revenons  nos moutons6         
,scanning these fields and slopes1      
noting 8the lavish hand of ,june10 and  
remembering that ,july's hand will be no
 whit less lavish1 we realise without   
any difficulty that there are more than 
twice as many flowering plants          
indigenous to ,switzerland as in the    
whole of the ,british ,isles4 ,indeed1  
,june alone could easily convince us of 
this4 ,what wealth6 ,one feels that the 
proper way1 the only adequate way of    
enjoying it is to abjure hotels and camp
 out in the midst of it all4 ,when the  
meal-time bell rings out from the       
,htel-,pension1 one turns in answer to  
it with reluctance1 declaring3      8,i 
could be content to see     ,june and no
 variety1     ,loitering here1 and      
living there1     ,with a book and      

frugal fare1     ,with a finer gypsy    
time1     ,and a cuckoo in the clime40  
,and when the end of ,june arrives1 and 
with it the ,arnica1 the ,greater       
,astrantia1 the orange-red ,hawkweed1   
the ,burnet butterfly1 and the passage  
of the bell-decked cows to the higher   
,alpine pastures--8,liauba6 ,liauba6 por
 alpa60--we may tremble for the coming  
of the scythe4 ,already it will be      
commencing its deadly work #b1jjj feet  
below1 and its advance is rapid and     
quite regardless of all we flower-lovers
 may mutter under our breath1 or more   
probably say aloud4 ,however1 we must be
 reasonable4 ,complaints of this        
description are not in order4 ,the world
 must be helped round3 hay must be made1
 and the flowers are not1 and cannot be1
 our all-in-all4 ,we benefit most by    
being seasonable2 sufficient for the day
 is the good thereof2 and the good of a 
day need not die with the day4 ,we take 
our fill of these flowers whilst we     
reasonably may2 recollection does the   

rest for us in the gap of seasons4 ,an  
emotion passed is yet part of our       
life--our life's memory2 and1 in        
,meredith's words1      8,dead seasons  
quicken in one petal spot of colour     
unforgot40  ,for enough is far better   
than a feast4 ,it is one thing to be    
spiritually sentimental2 it is quite    
another thing to know where to draw a   
right line in spiritual sentiment4      
,happy the man who is endowed with the  
double capacity2 happy the man who can  
allow these flowers to lift him to a    
higher plane of being2 and then1 when   
reasonableness begins to flag1 turn to  
his floral cicerones and say with       
firmness3 8,excuse me1 but ,i must now  
be getting back to dinner4 ,and you1 in 
your turn1 you know1 must be preparing  
to be dinner for the cows40             
,,some ,,prominent ,,pasture ,,flowers  
,,in ,,bloom ,,around ,,champex1 ,,june 
#ae1 #aiaj    ,ajuga pyramidalis        
7,alpine ,bugle74    ,alchemilla alpina4
      0  vulgaris 7,lady's ,mantle74    

,anemone narcissiflora4      0          
sulphurea4    ,antennaria dioica        
7,cudweed2 ,cat's-ear74    ,anthericum  
,liliago4      0  ramosum4    ,anthyllis
 vulneraria1 forma alpestris 7,kidney   
,vetch or         ,ladies' ,fingers74   
,biscutella lvigata4    ,campanula      
rhomboidalis4      0  rotundifolia4     
,centaurea montana 7,bluebottle2        
,knapweed2 ,mountain ,cornflower74      
,cerastium arvense 7,field ,mouse-ear74 
,dianthus ,carthusianorum 7,carthusian  
,pink74    ,echium vulgare 7,viper's    
,bugloss74    ,euphrasia alpina4      0 
minima 7,yellow ,eyebright74      0     
officinalis 7,eyebright74    ,geranium  
sylvaticum 7,wood ,crane's-bill74       
,geum rivale 7,water ,avens74           
,globularia cordifolia4    ,hippocrepis 
comosa 7,horseshoe ,vetch74    ,lathyrus
 heterophyllus 7,mountain ,everlasting  
,pea74      0  sylvestris 7,wood        
,everlasting ,pea74    ,linum alpinum   
7,alpine ,flax74    ,lotus corniculatus 
7,bird's-foot ,trefoil74    ,lychnis    

dioica 7,wood ,campion74      0         
,flos-cuculi 7,ragged ,robin74      0   
viscaria 7,red ,catchfly74    ,muscari  
comosum4    ,myosotis alpestris 7,alpine
 ,forget-me-not74    ,onobrychis        
vicifolia 7,sainfoin74     ,,orchids3   
,cephalanthera ensifolia                
,helleborine4         0  rubra          
,gymnadenia odoratissima and ,g4        
conopsea4        ,habenaria             
7,cloglossum7 viridis 7,frog ,orchis74  
,nigritella nigra 7angustifolia7        
7,vanilla ,orchis74        ,orchis      
latifolia4          0  maculata4        
0  ustulata4        ,plantanthera or    
,habenaria bifolia 7,butterfly ,orchis74
    ,paradisia ,liliastrum 7,paradise or
 ,st4 ,bruno's ,lily74    ,pedicularis  
tuberosa 7,yellow ,lousewort74          
,phyteuma betonicifolium                
,rampion     0  orbiculare              
,pimpinella magna rosea4    ,polygala   
alpestris                               
,milkwort4     0  vulgaris              
,polygonum ,bistorta 7,snake-root2      

,bistort74      0  viviparum 7,alpine   
,knotweed74    ,potentilla rupestris    
7,strawberry-flowered ,cinquefoil74     
,ranunculus aconitifolius 7,fair ,maid  
of ,france74    ,reseda luteola         
7,mignonette2 ,weld or ,dyer's ,weed74  
,rhinanthus angustifolius 7,yellow      
,rattle74    ,rosa alpina 7,alpine      
,brier or ,eglantine74    ,salvia       
pratensis 7,meadow ,sage2 ,clary7       
,scabiosa lucida4    ,silene inflata    
7,bladder ,campion74    ,trollius       
europus 7,globe-,flower74    ,valeriana 
tripteris 7,trefoil ,valerian74         
,,chapter ,,vii  ,,on ,,floral          
,,attractiveness ,,and ,,colour         
8,we1 having a secret to others unknown1
     ,in the cool mountain-mosses1      
,may whisper together 4440              
,,henry ,,kendall1 ,september in        
,australia4   ,our knowledge of life    
behind the balder manifestations of life
 is as yet so deficient that it would be
 pure conceit to pretend more than      
lightly to suggest certain thoughts that

 may possibly commence to explain       
something of the affinity existing      
between ourselves and the flowers4 ,that
 such an affinity does actually exist   
there appears sufficient evidence to    
warrant our believing1 and no one1 ,i   
imagine1 with an interested eye for     
these matters1 would care to pronounce  
against this evidence without making    
careful reservations4 ,and if this      
affinity exists for one it exists for   
all1 though in some1 because of the     
variable nature of the human mechanism1 
it is less demonstrable than in others4 
,nor does it show itself merely in our  
admiration and care for the flowers2    
there are many instances of its         
appearing in a form which borders upon  
the 8uncanny0--a form of that universal 
and universally sympathetic             
subconsciousness which ,psychology is   
doing its best to investigate4  ,thoreau
 in one of his ,essays mentions how that
 one day he wished to find a certain    
rare orchid1 but had no idea in which   

direction to seek it2 and1 setting out  
in this blind state of mind1 his steps  
took him straight to the very object of 
his quest4 ,of course those in whom     
prejudice is a more real possession than
 open-mindedness will dismiss such      
evidence as pointing to mere coincidence
 or to an unmistakable case of chance4  
,they will say the same1 too1 of the    
instance mentioned by ,mr4 ,h4 ,stuart  
,thompson in an article1 8,ten ,days in 
,co4 ,kerry10 which appeared in the     
,gardeners' ,chronicle for ,october #bb1
 #aiaj4 8,my companion10 says ,mr4      
,thompson1 8makes no claim to be a      
botanist1 but he has an innate faculty  
for finding good plants if they are to  
be found2 and let it be said here that  
during a ski-ing holiday in ,switzerland
 last winter he managed to grub up      
through the snow quite a wonderful      
collection of interesting ,alpines which
 are succeeding capitally on his        
rockery40 ,this will also be called     
coincidence2 but there is1 ,i believe1  

far less justification for doing so than
 for calling it sympathy4 ,personally1  
,i have more liking for design in these 
matters than ,i have for luck4 ,surely  
it were a poor world--nay1 an impossible
 world--that were governed by chance in 
whatsoever degree4 ,evolution may know  
no 8categorical imperative0 and yet be a
 stranger to aimless drifting4 ,the law 
of cause and effect seems to guarantee  
this4 ,and is it not also guarantee of a
 universal sympathy1 since the prime    
essential of this law is that all things
 are linked up in one continuous chain8 
,illustration3 ,the ,,autumn ,,crocus in
 the fields near the village of ,trient1
 with the ,aiguille du ,tour in the     
background1 ,september4   ,my own       
experience among the flowers biases me  
in favour of this sympathetic rule and  
causes me to believe there is some means
 by which our several beings can        
communicate4 ,on many occasions ,i have 
been led1 with seeming intention1 to    
some rare white form that ,i was wishing

 to find4 ,apparent purposelessness and 
lack of decision have filled my mind1   
and yet1 time after time1 have ,i taken 
the very path1 or have scrambled up the 
precise trackless slope which has       
brought me to the whereabouts of the    
rarity ,i have been seeking4 ,on other  
occasions ,i have been arrested in my   
walk and in the midst of quite other    
thoughts of my own or of some           
conversation with a companion by an     
impelling impression that a floral      
rarity was in my immediate              
neighbourhood4 ,i have noticed1 too1    
that this seeming guidance has          
invariably happened in connection with  
white flowers--the white form of        
,rhododendron ferrugineum1 for instance1
 or of ,gentiana excisa1 or of          
,soldanella alpina1 or of ,viola        
calcarata1 or of ,aster alpinus4 ,it may
 sound preposterously mystical1 but ,i  
do really suspect that ,i have found    
these uncommon or rare flowers--perhaps 
there was only one specimen within the  

district for miles round--by something  
in their nature being in tune with      
something in mine4 ,i do not imagine    
success would attend upon conscious     
effort1 my own experience being that the
 promptings have come without any       
striving on my part4 ,i have had most   
mixed and unconvincing results and many 
total failures when experiment has been 
conducted upon such lines as one might  
follow with a water-finder4 ,i am aware 
that however much in earnest one may be 
in speaking of this class of phenomena1 
it is difficult to appear reasonable2   
for the matter is so wrapped in haze4 ,i
 can only repeat that the thing has     
happened to me when ,i have been least  
expecting it4  ,i remember one case in  
particular1 when ,i was rambling with a 
friend upon the rapid slopes of ,dent de
 ,bonnavaux1 near ,champry4 ,i was      
longing to find the white form of       
,gentiana asclepiadea1 the ,willow      
,gentian1 about which ,i had been       
reading4 ,we had arrived where this     

,gentian was growing in profusion in a  
semi-shade afforded by giant cliffs1 and
 had proceeded nearly to the foot of the
 ,pas d',encel1 when1 feeling suddenly  
persuaded that the plant ,i wanted was  
near by1 ,i called a halt4 ,my friend   
said1 8,oh1 let's get on2 there's       
nothing here60 ,but ,i begged for       
indulgence4 8,i feel10 said ,i1 8that   
the white form of the blue ,gentian is  
growing hereabouts1 and ,i'm going to   
hunt it up40 ,for some time ,i scrambled
 about without the required result1 and 
,i was beginning to suspect that ,i was 
being prompted more by a fussy          
imagination than an intuitive sympathy2 
and yet ,i felt unable to abandon the   
search1 and determined not to do so     
until ,i had gone all over the ground   
twice4 ,and then1 at last--,eureka6     
there amongst the grasses behind a big  
boulder were two lovely sprays of purest
 white6 ,now1 it was not as if this were
 the first time that ,i had been amongst
 this ,gentian2 many times before1 and  

in many districts1 had ,i passed through
 quantities of it2 but never had ,i seen
 any variation except in the depth and  
brightness of the blue1 and never before
 had ,i experienced the sensation of the
 near presence of its white form4 ,nor  
can ,i recall any occasion when this    
sensation has played me false4 ,over and
 over again have ,i felt it1 and with   
whatever plant it has been associated it
 has invariably proved truthfully       
prophetic4 ,will coincidence or luck    
satisfactorily account for this8 ,i am  
unable to think so1 though ,i confess ,i
 must exclaim as ,faust does3      8,lo6
 here ,i sit no wiser than before06     
,but now that we are thus far1 let us   
grope a little further within the       
dim-lit domain of subconsciousness2 ,i  
would fain touch upon a matter closely  
allied to the foregoing--that of the    
significance of the colour of flowers1  
and the part played by colour in the    
sympathy existing between the flowers   
and ourselves4 ,let us first of all     

speculate briefly upon the significance 
of floral colouring4 ,speaking          
vaguely--and who can speak with any very
 great distinctness8--colour is one of  
many manifestations of one and the same 
fundamental condition4 ,sound is        
another2 odour another4 ,our five       
senses1 in fact1 appear to deal with the
 self-same set of fundamental truths and
 to translate them differently3 possibly
 upon the principle that variety is     
charming and is much more likely to     
arouse our complete inquisitiveness1    
ending ultimately in our thorough       
appreciation1 than would these vital    
truths if brought to our notice in just 
a single form4 ,there are people to whom
 odours represent colours2 there are    
others to whom ,wagnerian music is      
largely coloured by scarlet and all     
other reds1 and to whom the note of the 
blackbird is magenta and purple1 and    
that of the greenfinch yellow4 ,there   
is1 too1 a case recorded by the late    
,professor ,lombroso1 where a girl could

 see things with the tip of her nose2   
,miss ,helen ,keller1 blind1 deaf1 and  
dumb1 can feel if a person is dark or   
fair2 and it is said that recently in   
,germany there was a man who1 having    
undergone an operation upon his head1   
was1 after recovery1 obliged to seek the
 peace and comfort of a dark cellar on  
fine days1 because he could hear the sun
 shining4 ,without staking the soundness
 of my argument upon this last          
quotation1 there would seem enough      
evidence in the world to assure us that 
our senses deal with one and the same   
set of realities1 and that colour1      
sound1 and odour have birth in a        
self-same cause4 ,what1 then1 are these 
realities2 what1 then1 is this cause in 
relation with ourselves and the flowers2
 and what part does colour play therein8
  ,of course1 ,i am supposing that      
colour is really in the flowers and not 
in us or in the bee1 as was suggested a 
few years ago by an ,american savant4 ,i
 am unable to think that either myself  

or a bee can determine the white form of
 some blue ,gentian1 some rose-pink     
,ononis 7,rest-,harrow71 or some yellow 
,primrose4 ,if colour is not in the     
flower1 then neither is it in a lady's  
dress1 nor in a nation's flag1 nor in a 
picture4 ,what reason should the world  
and his wife have for unanimously       
declaring a dress to be brown and purple
 if1 in reality1 it is no colour at     
all--if1 that is to say1 it is black1 or
 the highest refinement of black1 which 
is white8 ,how comes it that a whole    
nation with one accord looks upon its   
flag as a combination of red1 white1 and
 blue when1 in reality1 it is simply a  
design in black and white8 ,what are we 
doing by painting our hives a variety of
 bright colours in order to lead the    
bees safely home1 if paint is no colour 
and bees can colour the hives as they   
will8 ,it is beyond me2 ,i imagine it is
 beyond my readers2 and ,i suspect that 
if the truth were known it was even     
beyond the ,american savant in his less 

imaginative moments4 ,maybe things are  
not what they seem1 but can this be     
possible to the extent implied by our   
,western cousin8 ,i know1 of course1    
that we do largely befool ourselves2 ,i 
know that in part measure we are 8,all  
valiant dust that builds on dust02 but  
,i cannot believe we befool ourselves to
 the extent of painting pictures every  
imaginable tint when1 really and truly1 
all this colour is in ourselves4 ,i1    
personally1 am old-fashioned enough to  
think that when ,i squeeze gamboge out  
upon my palette ,i undoubtedly have     
there a yellow1 not a colourless        
pigment4 ,and ,i imagine that a bee     
thinks the same when he flies1 as       
frequently he will1 head-foremost into  
it1 believing it to be a buttercup or a 
marigold4  ,yes1 ,i am presuming that we
 human beings1 endowed though we are    
with abundant powers of which we are    
greatly unconscious1 have little enough 
to do with a flower's being mauve or    
orange2 and it is upon this possibly    

antiquated and false understanding that 
,i ask myself1 ,what tale has the colour
 of flowers to tell us8 ,in the first   
place1 ,i am not sure that ,i am content
 to see white appearing solely between  
yellow and pink in ,dr4 ,percy ,groom's 
scale of floral colour2 the scale does  
not look quite true1 running in the     
following order3 yellow1 white1 pink1   
red1 crimson1 violet1 blue4 ,i should be
 more content if the order ran like     
this3 white1 blue1 green1 yellow1       
orange1 red1 violet1 blue1 white2 for   
scales such as these1 if continued1 form
 a circle1 a complete and continuous    
whole4 ,they cannot rightly be cut up   
into abrupt sections of straight lines  
if they are to tell the whole truth4    
,the green flowers appear to stand as   
proof of this1 for they draw their tint 
from both extremities of the scale--from
 blue1 the highest of primal colours1   
and from yellow1 the lowest2 they link  
up the extremities and complete the     
circle2 they have no definite qualities1

 but are at once high and lowly4  ,if we
 start with the lowliest of flowers of  
clean-cut individuality1 it must be with
 the yellow ones2 and yellow stands for 
the dawn of definite life4 ,after that1 
for flowers of distinct position1 we    
must go to the red ones1 those of orange
 tints being intermediary2 and with red 
we reach the fulfilment of animal or    
worldly vigour4 ,from this point        
onwards1 through magenta1 lilac1 mauve1 
violet1 purple1 refinement is           
increasingly marked until blue is       
reached4 ,then blue1 starting darkly1   
advances to 8,cambridge0 tints1 and so  
into white4  ,now white is the 8colour0 
of which we know the least--and talk the
 most4 ,really1 it indicates            
nothing--that which is as 8a bunghole   
without a barrel round it0--and of this1
 naturally1 we can have but a very      
inaccurate appreciation4 ,we speak      
glibly about white1 and we soar with it 
to giddy1 dreamy heights1 but we speak  
and mostly dream of colour not of white4

 ,for--      8,life1 like a dome of     
many-coloured glass1     ,stains the    
white radiance of eternity40  ,we talk  
of snow as if it were of no colour2 but 
we are able to talk about it only       
because it is so colour-full4 ,we talk  
arrogantly of ourselves as 8white       
people10 and we are able to do so       
because we are not white people1 but    
people with a rude amount of red in     
us--8animals with red cheeks10 as       
,nietzsche calls us2 indeed1 it is      
possible that the negro has more right  
to call himself a white man1 for he is  
nearer to black than we are to white1   
and1 according to the well-known        
formula1 8,black is white1 white is     
black1 and black is no colour at all40  
,illustration3 ,,anemone ,,sulphurea and
 ,,gentiana ,,excisa1 painted directly  
in the fields at the end of ,may4   ,but
 what part does white play amongst the  
flowers8 ,to begin with1 ,i believe we  
have no right to restrict it to one     
particular place--between yellow and    

red4 ,it would seem to have no precise  
position in the scale1 for it is found  
appearing here1 there1 and everywhere   
along the line4 ,it occurs amongst all  
colours1 but if it has one more         
permanent place than another1 that place
 is outside the line of colour          
altogether2 and white1 as a permanency1 
is an extreme4 ,the appearance of a     
white form is often hailed as a case of 
anmia in the coloured type2 and no doubt
 this is so frequently1 though it cannot
 be so always4 ,where a white form is   
the issue of a blue type-flower1 such as
 a ,gentian or a ,campanula1 it is most 
probable that it is a case of natural   
evolution1 and that such a white plant  
is no more anmic than is anything which 
arrives naturally1 progressively1 upon  
the higher plane of being4 ,we of a     
lower plane are not a little apt to     
regard as weaklings things which emerge 
upon the higher plane4 ,certainly a     
white flower is not necessarily 8too    
good to live40 ,if it be issue of a blue

 type-flower1 it is more likely than not
 to be in every way well bred4 ,where1  
however1 it is issue of a yellow or a   
red type-flower1 then ,i think we are   
justified in suspecting anmia1 for      
yellow or red must pass through blue    
before it can healthily and with all    
warrant emerge as white4 ,there are no  
leaps in progressive evolution2         
soundness is sequence4  ,now in no      
instance1 ,i think1 have ,i been        
influenced by the unknown presence of   
yellow or of red as ,i have by that of  
white and sometimes of blue flowers4    
,why should this be3 why should the     
influence of white be more remarkable   
than that of yellow8 ,is it not probable
 that in special cases the human        
organism is in pronouncedly sympathetic 
accord with the organism of flowers1 in 
some such way as there is sympathetic   
attunement between transmitter and      
receiver in wireless telegraphy8 ,is it 
not possible that some natures are      
attuned to blue and white flowers1 and  

will ignore yellow or red ones1 while   
other natures are in accord with yellow 
or red flowers and are unresponsive to  
blue and white ones8 ,i know of a judge 
at local flower shows who invariably1   
and without much demur1 gave first prize
 to the table decoration containing     
scarlet2 and if such a decoration was   
mainly composed of the ,oriental ,poppy 
it secured the top award without a      
moment's hesitation4 ,is it not possible
 that this judge was in sympathetic     
attune with scarlet2 is it not possible 
that1 were he to have been blindfolded1 
and set down in a field of blue         
,cornflowers with one red ,poppy hidden 
away amongst them1 he would at once have
 been persuaded of the ,poppy's         
presence8  ,thus we end upon a question 
mark4 ,but let us not feel abashed4 8,a 
man is wise10 says ,oliver ,goldsmith1  
8while he continues in pursuit of       
wisdom1 but when he once fancies that he
 has found the object of his inquiry he 
then becomes a fool40 ,let us find      

comfort in this dictum1 and confess that
 we have discovered scarcely a trace of 
that for which we have been inquiring4  
,cardinal ,newman once observed that men
 know less of animals than they do of   
angels1 and ,i think we may safely put  
the flowers by the side of the          
animals--especially when our knowledge  
deals1 as it has here been dealing1 with
 that mysterious subconsciousness which 
is the domain of angels4 ,familiarity is
 the much-travelled road to ignorance4  
,we often deny to familiar things       
qualities that we stoutly insist belong 
to things of which we know really       
nothing4 ,the flowers are too obvious1  
too near to us to share the intimacy in 
which we live with things hidden and    
secret4 ,even we ourselves suffer in    
this manner1 and we deny to ourselves   
qualities we 8see0 and 8know0 in what we
 cannot see and do not know4 ,what a    
very curious blend of contradictions we 
are6 ,in one and the same breath we will
 unduly belaud and unduly belittle      

ourselves2 but we are no more the       
restricted creatures of our fancy than  
we are the centre and hub of the        
universe4 ,although1 manifestly         
short-sighted1 we stumble about in most 
awkward fashion1 still we are delicately
 receptive of subtle1 moving influences4
 ,we are instruments of far-reaching    
powers1 but we look upon ourselves as   
freer agents than the case warrants4 ,we
 imagine we go here and go there        
entirely of our own volition1 yet if we 
were really such lonely automatons as   
this we should be immeasurably more     
stupid than we are4  ,it must not       
surprise us1 then1 if ,science some day 
convinces us that both in thought and in
 action we are moved by many things with
 which we now say we have no connection1
 and that amongst these things will be  
found the flowers2 it must not astonish 
us if such a phrase as 8,the ,call of   
the ,wild0 is possessed of an intrinsic 
meaning1 the fulness and scope of which 
we now consider it an eccentric folly to

 admit4 ,there is a wondrous education  
in store for us4 ,we are1 actually1 in  
our right place1 but we know little of  
how or why4 ,when some day our eyes are 
opened more widely to the forces that   
direct our lives1 we shall be humbler   
than at present4 ,but we shall be       
happier4 ,and ,i venture to predict that
 few things will help more materially   
towards this greater happiness than will
 a real and knowing intimacy with the   
flowers4     ,,chapter ,,viii  ,,the    
,,rhododendron      8,wonderful1 hidden 
things wait near1 ,i know1              
,perchance fulfilment of our noblest    
aim1     ,or marvels that would set the 
heart aflame1     ,which an obscure and 
mystic sense might show--     ,snatching
 us--in a moment--to the glow           
,beyond yon filmy barrier without name  
,that no eye pierceth60                 
,,fanny ,,elizabeth ,,sidebottom1 ,a    
,spiritual ,sense4   ,according to      
authority1 there are about #ahf species 
of ,rhododendron in the world4 ,the     

greatest number of varieties inhabit    
,india and ,china1 and they are         
important plants in the ,caucasus1 where
 often--as with ,rhododendron           
ponticum--they cover the entire side of 
a mountain4 ,in ,switzerland there are  
but two varieties1 ,r4 ferrugineum and  
,r4 hirsutum1 and they are to the ,swiss
 ,alps what the ,heather is to the      
,scottish mountains 7with1 however1 this
 difference--the ,alps have also the    
,heather74 ,they clothe the open        
mountain-side with a deep evergreen     
growth1 invading the lichen-scored rocks
 and even the pine-forests1 and robing  
themselves1 from mid-,june to mid-,july1
 in such rosy-red attire as fascinates  
even the accustomed peasant1 causing him
 almost as much delight as they cause   
the stranger4 ,indeed1 their flowering  
is a masterpiece of ,nature's art1 and  
few things are more fitting the sun's   
ascendency and the advent of cowbells   
upon the pastures4 ,wherever on the     
fields there is a rock1 there shines the

 rosy shrub against the grey mass1 and  
the steep slopes glint and glow as they 
will do in the autumn when the ,bilberry
 and other groundlings catch afire4 ,i  
have met visitors in disappointment at  
the smallness of the blossoms1 and      
inquiring where the large-flowered forms
 of our gardens might be found4         
,certainly1 these plants are not those  
of the ,himalaya1 but ,i warrant they   
can boast a glory all their own--one    
inspired by its particular circumstance 
and surroundings1 and vying in that     
respect with the glory of the kinsfolk  
of ,india or of the ,azalea in          
,afghanistan4 ,abundance rather than    
size is the keynote of this present     
splendour2 and the abundance is amazing1
 giving us a mass of colour which larger
 individual flowers could scarcely      
rival4  ,wet or fine the glow abides1   
but in fine weather its rich brilliance 
is certainly of summer's best and goes  
far to reconcile us to the lost glories 
of the ,vernal ,gentian4 ,there can be  

few more satisfying recollections of    
early summer days than when1 waist-deep 
amid the ,rhododendrons overgrowing some
 ancient rock-fall1 one gazed across a  
rosy expanse1 sparingly broken by grey  
boulder and blasted pine and falling    
away towards the snout of some sea-green
 glacier backed by snow-draped crags and
 aiguilles1 with1 in the foreground1 on 
occasional turfy intervals1 groups of   
orange ,arnica and of ,gymnadenia       
albida1 the ,small ,butterfly ,orchids1 
close consort of the ,rhododendron1     
whilst the ,swallow-tail and ,alpine    
,clouded-,yellow butterflies flirted    
with the blossoms and chased each other 
in the thin1 clear air and joy-inspiring
 sunlight4 8,the ,alpine ,rhododendron  
444 once gave me10 ,mr4 ,george ,yeld   
tells us in his chapter contributed to  
the ,rev4 ,w4 ,a4 ,b4 ,coolidge's 8,the 
,alps in ,nature and in ,history10 8one 
of the most effective sights in the     
flower-world that ,i can recall4 ,i came
 upon it in a late season--acres of     

,rhododendron ferrugineum1 in a forest  
where the trees grew at some distance   
apart4 ,the brightness of the colour--a 
rich red--the extent of the flower show1
 the setting of pines1 and the          
background of stately ramparts of rock1 
with an occasional waterfall1 made the  
scene unique2 and the memory of it is   
proportionately vivid40 ,scarce can such
 experience need enlargement along the  
line of pleasure1 and surely no         
well-regulated mind will wander in      
search of larger-flowered varieties6    
,such scenes are satisfaction           
itself--except that they play upon some 
secret human chord1 awaken 8an obscure  
and mystic sense0 and waft inquisitive  
mentality                          8to  
the glow     ,beyond yon filmy barrier  
without name     ,that no eye pierceth60
  ,illustration3 ,,primula ,,farinosa1  
,,gentiana ,,verna1 ,micheli's ,daisy1  
,,bartsia ,,alpina1 ,,polygala ,,alpina1
 and the two ,pinguiculas or            
,butterworts1 painted directly in the   

fields at the end of ,may4          99  
99       99       99       99  ,the     
,rhododendron is commonly spoken and    
written of as the ,alpine ,rose2 but it 
is a member of the ,heath family1 and   
not of that family which fable says was 
created by ,bacchus4 ,this is a ready   
instance of where popular nomenclature1 
without discipline1 leads to confusion2 
for there is an ,alpine ,rose 7,rosa    
alpina71 a very lovely rich             
magenta-coloured ,eglantine often       
growing cheek-by-jowl with the pseudo   
,alpenrose of the ,germans4 ,it is quite
 possible that the word 8,rose0 really  
springs--as in ,monte ,rosa--from roisa 
or rosa1 meaning 8glacier0 in the       
ancient patois of the valley of ,aosta1 
and ,i have several times seen this more
 than suggested by authorities in       
etymology4 ,the fact remains1 however1  
that the ,rhododendron has become a rose
 and has thus obscured to some extent   
the repute and worth of the real ,alpine
 ,rose4 ,in ,french1 the ,rhododendron1 

though it is often known as ,rose des   
,alpes1 is sometimes spoken of as ,rue  
des ,alpes and ,rosage4  ,the           
,rhododendron is the ,swiss national    
flower4 ,nor am ,i sure but that this   
honour is not borne almost entirely by  
,r4 ferrugineum4 ,this is far more      
widespread than is hirsutum1 being far  
less difficult in its likes and         
dislikes4 ,for example1 notwithstanding 
that hirsutum loves limestone1 it shuns 
the ,jura ,mountains1 whereas           
ferrugineum is common in the ,jura1     
though usually it is shy of lime4 ,and  
if the honours really are undivided1    
they seem to be won by superior aptness1
 and the laurel-wreath rests1 ,i think1 
upon the more appropriate brow4 ,for1 of
 the two1 ferrugineum best typifies the 
,swiss national character--masculine    
sturdiness1 common-sensed sanity1 void  
of fine fastidiousness4 ,the whole habit
 of ferrugineum is more robust1 more    
rigid1 more resistant4 ,it seeks small  
clemency2 it has1 so to speak1 its teeth

 set1 prepared to front the rudest      
buffets of ,alpine circumstance without 
a prayer for pity1 and to come up       
smiling in spite of all4 ,although1 of  
course1 hirsutum has its own good way of
 overcoming severe conditions1 it has a 
greater delicacy of bearing and does not
 impress one as being possessed of its  
cousin's rugged nature4  ,eugne         
,rambert1 the ,swiss poet-alpinist1     
speaks of the ,rhododendron as being 8la
 plante alpine par excellence0 and in   
doing so he probably uses the word      
8,alpine0 in the same sense in which we 
ourselves are here using it1 or else    
perhaps he refers to the plant as1 for  
the most part1 it is resident in        
,switzerland4 ,for on the ,italian face 
of the ,alps the ,rhododendron descends1
 as around ,lugano1 to the plains4 ,mr4 
,stuart ,thompson1 who has made a       
special study of altitude in connection 
with the mountain flora1 says in his    
8,alpine ,plants of ,europe0 that ,r4   
ferrugineum 8ascends to #h1hjj feet in  

,valais1 to at least #h1bjj feet in the 
,maritime ,alps1 and descends into the  
plain in ,tessin by ,lago ,maggiore     
7with ,r4 hirsutum71 and by ,lake       
,wallenstadt1 and it is occasionally    
found as a glacier relic in turbaries in
 the woods of the ,swiss plateau40  ,mr4
 ,thompson1 by mentioning the fact of   
the remains of ,rhododendron being found
 in peat deposits on the plains1 gives  
us a glimpse of this plant slowly       
retreating up the mountains with the    
glaciers4 ,and yet1 on the south side of
 the ,alps1 it is still to be found upon
 the plains6 ,this is one of the        
mysteries of ,alpine plant-life1 and one
 for which ,i have seen no satisfactory 
theory4 ,gentiana verna shows us1 ,i    
believe1 the same seeming inconsistency1
 descending to the sea-coast in         
,ireland1 yet rarely1 if ever1 found    
below #a1cjj feet in ,switzerland4      
,like the ,english ,dog ,rose--and this1
 perhaps1 is its greatest likeness to a 
,rose--the ,rhododendron develops galls 

7,oak-apples or ,robin's ,pincushions1  
as they are called in ,england7 upon its
 leaves4 ,some of these are produced by 
insects and some by a fungus            
7,exobasidium rhododendri71 the latter  
gall being yellow1 and turning pink or  
rose on the sunny side4 ,the leaves and 
flowers are used in infusion for        
rheumatism2 also as an ingredient of    
,swiss tea4 ,this shrub1 too1 is the    
food-plant of one of the handsomest of  
,alpine butterflies1 ,colias ,palno1 a  
,clouded-,yellow--anything but clouded1 
though it lives where clouds are born1  
for with its clear citron wings boldly  
bordered with jet-black and rimmed with 
tender rose1 it is a bright1 true child 
of high altitudes4  ,nor should the     
,rhododendron be forgotten as a subject 
for our gardens4 ,when raised from      
layers or from seed1 it takes quite     
kindly to our climate4 ,indeed1 the     
plants at 8,floraire10 ,m4 ,henry       
,correvon's charming garden near        
,geneva1 come from ,england--a fact that

 will sound much in line with that of   
living at ,brighton and receiving one's 
fish from ,london6 ,this anomaly1 in the
 case of the ,rhododendron1 is due to   
the great difficulty of acclimatising   
the plant to the ,swiss plains4 ,when1  
however1 it has once been acclimatised  
in ,england it will transplant to       
,switzerland with the greatest success4 
,i cannot remember ever to have seen in 
,switzerland a successfully transplanted
 native plant of ,rhododendron1 even    
though1 as is frequently the case around
 mountain hotels1 it has been a question
 of moving it only some few yards from  
where it was growing wild4 ,these wild  
plants have a strong objection to being 
tamed4 ,but in ,england's humid climate 
it is quite easy to cultivate1 and if   
fields are to be added to our rockworks 
the ,rhododendron must have a place in  
them--a place around the solitary rocks1
 a place with the ,daphne and the       
shrubby ,honeysuckles4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,with    

what fecundity of resource ,nature      
marshals her forces2 with what amazing  
ingenuity she passes to her goal6 ,as if
 to show her wayward child how academic 
strictness in one straight line is not  
the road to greatest success1 she takes 
a thousand ways to reach one and the    
same end1 causing extremes and opposites
 in method to give a common high result4
 ,and this she does on every hand1 and  
in all of her domains4 ,in the world    
with which we are now dealing--the      
plant-world--she is particularly rich in
 ways and means4 ,see how1 for example1 
some flowers need the wind to assist    
them to propagate their kind1 and note  
the many ways such flowers have of      
courting the wind's assistance2 see how 
others need the bees and flies to busy  
themselves about them1 and note the many
 ways such have of attracting the       
attentions of bees and flies2 see how   
some will call in a beetle to eat his   
way to their hearts1 whilst others will 
just hob-nob together1 independent of   

any intermediary4 ,see1 again1 how some 
plants bury their roots in the earth for
 sustenance1 whilst others1 with like   
object1 will bury them in the air2 see1 
too1 how some will climb by the help of 
their thorns1 whilst others will do so  
by the aid of tendrils1 or of rootlets1 
or of adhering fingers4 ,an admirably   
efficient way of achieving a purpose    
does not preclude the possibility of    
there being a score or more other and   
equally efficient ways of achieving the 
same purpose4 ,one species of           
,orange-tree may carry its seed in the  
core of its fruit1 whilst another may   
carry it in a special exterior annexe2  
or one species of ,mangrove-tree may    
breathe by means of its leaves1 whilst  
another may do so by means of tube-like 
organs thrown up through the soft mud4  
,it seems strange we should be so       
strictly narrow in our outlook1         
surrounded as we are by so much clearly 
demonstrated resourcefulness2 it seems  
strange that all day long our dogmatic  

finger should point here1 then there1   
and the presumptuous cry go up1 8,this  
is the only right and proper way60 ,it  
seems strange3 for it is thus a person  
is a savage in our eyes if1 instead of  
wearing ornaments in his ears1 he wears 
them in his nose and lips4 ,to be sure1 
we are improving in this respect1 for at
 one time we readily burnt people who   
had another way of doing things4 ,but   
there is still vast room for progress4  
,and1 surely1 it is no fond trick of the
 imagination to believe that an         
appreciable amount of this room will    
gradually be appropriated to progress   
made through ,nature ,study4 ,for       
,nature is too far-sighted to be        
dogmatic1 too capable to be academic2   
she leaves an illimitable margin for    
what is right1 incidentally giving a    
complete exposition of the truth of our 
much employed1 but much neglected adage1
 8,all roads lead to ,rome40  ,now1 in  
these two ,swiss ,rhododendrons there is
 excellent occasion for noting two very 

different means of offering highly      
effective resistance to a common foe4   
,the foe is drought--the drought of the 
hot1 ungenerous1 porous moraine1 and of 
the rapid1 rocky1 sun-baked1 wind-swept 
slope4 ,mountain circumstance1 such as  
is affected for the most part by these  
,rhododendrons1 is the outcome of       
comparatively recent disturbance2 soil  
is in the forming1 and what there is of 
it but thinly coats a tumbled bed of    
crevassed rocks and boulders4 ,casual   
observation may lead visitors to suppose
 the ,swiss ,alpine climate to be by no 
means devoid of moisture and to be      
liable at all seasons to its fair share 
of damp1 all-enveloping cloud and fog1  
and to storms of snow and rain4 ,and    
casual observation will be right4 ,but  
no section of the globe's face is more  
thoroughly and more promptly drained    
than that of the ,alps1 and a 8deluge0  
of rain is like so much water on a      
duck's back4 ,hence1 an incomparable    
system of drainage is one of the prime  

disabilities against which ,alpine      
vegetation has to contend4 ,and the     
,rhododendrons meet this disability in  
two ways--ferrugineum with hard leaves1 
varnished above1 and felted and resinous
 beneath2 hirsutum with softer1 pliant  
leaves fringed by hairs4 ,thus do both  
fence ably the evil of too rapid        
evaporation2 thus do both1 by their     
diverse methods1 give to the student    
8,the subtle hintings of a perfect      
whole40  ,illustration3 ,,gentiana      
,,verna1 the type-plant1 and some of its
 forms4      ,,chapter ,,ix  ,,the      
,,july ,,fields      8,through rich     
green solitudes1     ,and wildly hanging
 woods     ,with blossoms and with bell1
     ,in rich redundant swell1          
,and the pride     ,of the mountain     
daisy there1     ,and the forest        
everywhere1     ,with the dress and with
 the air                 ,of a bride40  
,,duncan ,,ban ,,macintyre4   ,amid the 
brilliant floral gathering which crowds 
into the arena of the ,alps upon the    

blazoned entry of ,july1 one marks no   
sign of the fair and frail ,st4 ,bruno's
 ,lily4 ,nor is this as it should not   
be4 ,dainty to the point of extreme     
delicacy1 this flower of ,paradise is   
justly of a season more restrained1 and 
one should not heap regrets upon its    
absence from so flamboyant a concourse  
as this present4 ,the rich-blue ,bell   
,gentian is likewise absent from the gay
 and jostling crowd1 having at last     
vanished from the shadier nooks where1  
in fond persistency1 it has been        
continuing the cult of spring4 ,but     
these two precious field-flowers form1  
possibly1 the sum of ,june's            
distinguished absentees4      8,why fret
 about them if to-day be sweet60  ,and1 
surely1 to-day is as sweet as ever      
yesterday was6 ,the glory of the        
,bistort is not yet on the wane1 and to 
it the tall ,buttercup has wedded its   
lustre1 and ,ranunculus aconitifolius1  
the ,fair ,maid of ,france2             
consequently1 the moister meadows are a 

knee-deep wealth of pink1 yellow1 and   
white4 ,on the drier fields1 too1 the   
rich blue and mauve expanses of ,salvia 
and ,geranium are now reinforced by the 
crowded blue bells of ,campanula        
rhomboidalis1 and hosts of the          
mauve-blossomed ,scabious2 while upon   
the slopes the now declining ,biscutella
 and ,strawberry-flowered ,potentilla   
have for new companions ,hieracium      
alpinum1 ,hypochris maculata1 ,crepis   
aurea1 ,campanula barbata1 and ,c4      
,scheuchzeri1 the tall lemon-yellow     
,hypochris uniflora1 and the lilac      
,gentiana campestris4 ,the tall blue and
 tall white ,phyteuma betonicfolium1 and
 the blue1 round-headed ,p4 orbiculare  
are everywhere1 and have been joined by 
the tall blue ,p4 ,micheli and the      
little blue ,p4 hemisphricum of         
onion-like leaves4 ,the ,orchids1 also  
everywhere1 are still in full beauty1   
their numbers having been swelled by the
 arrival of ,gymnadenia albida4 ,the    
stately ,veratrum album is in flower1   

companioning the equally stately ,yellow
 ,gentian1 to which1 in habit and       
foliage1 though not in blossom1 it bears
 a strong resemblance4 ,the ,arnica1    
also1 is coming into bloom3 the tall1   
red-brown ,martagon ,lily is fast       
filling out its buds2 the ,yellow       
,rattle and ,anthyllis are ubiquitous2  
the graceful ,thesium1 with sprays of   
olive-coloured stems and leaves and tiny
 white stars 7and ugly ,english name of 
,bastard ,toadflax71 is looking its     
daintiest2 and hosts of ,ox-eyed        
,marguerites and pink ,umbellifer top   
the meadows far and wide4 ,on the rough 
banks and edges of the fields1 or on the
 rocks that so often crop up in these   
pastures1 ,saponaria ocymoides1         
,helianthemum alpestre1 ,calamintha     
alpina1 ,veronica saxatilis1 and ,silene
 rupestris add respectively their bright
 pink1 orange-yellow1 mauve1 blue1 and  
white abundance to the radiance of the  
field-flowers proper4 ,in 8the grassy   
hollow that holds the bubbling          

well-spring10 ,myosotis palustris is    
opening its myriad blue eyes2 the       
,bartsia lingers by 8the flower-lit     
stream0 and is joined by the tiny bright
 blue ,gentiana nivalis1 here and there 
showing its rarer white form2 whilst up 
upon the mountain-sides1 backing and    
dominating the whole of this crowded1   
gay array1 the ,rhododendron is fast    
putting forth its red1 amazing fulness4 
,if ,june be reckoned as a millionaire1 
then surely ,july must also1 and with   
the additional prefix 8multi06 8,it is  
with flowers as with men10 says ,major  
,reginald ,rankin in 8,the ,royal       
,ordering of ,gardens10 and 8,providence
 is on the side of big battalions40     
,and1 of a truth1 this is so in these   
fields2 bigger battalions it would      
indeed be hard to find4 ,is there not   
here some striking suggestion of an     
element in ultimate beauty--that of an  
harmonious brotherhood8 ,one certainly  
seems to catch a glimpse of that        
economic state where individuality is   

general rather than particular2 where   
personality is absorbed by the mass1 and
 beauty is conspicuous only in the      
whole2 where1 so to speak1 the red      
neckties of leadership do not flare out 
in designed and conscious isolation4    
,among themselves plants have their     
likes and dislikes4 ,it is well known   
that1 for example1 certain flowers are  
only found in the company of ,corn1 and 
it is said that in the kitchen-garden   
the ,radish simply detests the ,thyme4  
,but here1 on these meadows1 all trace  
of discord seems lost in one great      
accord1 and the plants1 both great and  
small1 blue-blooded and plebeian1       
8,a social commerce hold1 and firm      
support     ,the full adjusted harmony  
of things40  ,and what pageantry it all 
is2 what consummate pageantry6 8,the    
flowers are at their ,bacchanals60 ,the 
,old ,mother1 unlike many other parents1
 is not outdistanced by her children4   
,though man be loath to admit it1 she   
holds the lead1 and sets him both pace  

and tune4 ,what are his pageants beside 
the pageantry of this his age-full      
parent8 ,he summons up his past for     
glory1 and1 rightly or wrongly1 sees    
magnificence only in what he has been2  
but his old mother1 as here on these    
fairy fields1 seeks naught further than 
the present4 ,were it not well that he  
read in this the lesson3 8,nature must  
once more become his home1 as it is the 
home of the animals and angels08 ,were  
it not well that he should shift his    
ground and thus amend his outlook8      
,scarcely does it befit him to brag     
about      8,nature's fair1 fruitless1  
aimless world     ,men take and mould at
 will60  8,fruitless1 aimless world08   
,why1 willy-nilly1 ,nature moulds       
him--even by allowing him to think he is
 moulding her4  ,behold these meadows6  
,will he take them and mould them to    
anything better than they are8 ,no1 he  
certainly will not4 ,will he give them  
an aim higher than they possess at      
present8 ,possibly4 ,there is1 however1 

only one way by which he may succeed3   
let him unbend1 and let him gather these
 meadows closer to his heart and        
understanding3 let him transport what he
 can of them to his parks and gardens4  
,but let him not for one moment imagine 
that by so doing he is 8moulding0 them2 
for1 indubitably1 it is they who will be
 moulding him4  ,and for this reason3   
,alpine fields are such superlatively   
true art that he cannot but find in     
them1 as in all true art1 a common      
ground of interest1 fellowship1         
happiness1 advancement2 8a means0--as   
,tolstoi says of true art--8of union    
among men1 joining them together in the 
same feelings0--feelings that must      
ameliorate1 must refine4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,we are  
now nearing the dread but necessary     
moment when the scythe will be laying   
low the flowers2 but ere the arrival of 
this careful1 callous friend of the     
cows1 we have a few more hours in which 
to cast another greedy look around4 ,the

 ,bistort and ,buttercup1 ,orchid and   
tall ,rampion1 have become1 or are fast 
becoming1 dingy and seed-full1 but there
 are several handsome and interesting   
newcomers2 and many of these subjects1  
such as the ,martagon ,lily and ,field  
,gentian1 which at the commencement of  
the month had only a bloom or two open  
here and there1 are now at perfection4  
,the red ,centaurea uniflora is a vivid 
object among the grasses3 a 8distinct   
advance10 as nurserymen would say1 upon 
,c4 scabiosa1 our common ,hard-heads or 
,knobweed1 blooming beside it4 ,the     
sturdy ,brown ,gentian 7,gentiana       
purpurea7 and its near relation1 the    
cream-coloured or greenish-yellow ,g4   
punctata1 are conspicuous objects1 and  
,hieracium aurantiacum1 the fiery1      
orange-red ,hawkweed or ,grimm the      
,collier1 burns as a jewel among them4  
,astrantia major1 the ,great            
,masterwort1 unique and charming--more  
particularly when its flower-heads take 
on their truly ,alpine tint of rosy     

magenta--is here with its little        
brother1 ,a4 minor1 pale and fragile1   
perhaps from its habit of living in     
shadier places than major4 ,the         
,campanulas are glorious1 and the lilac 
pyramidal heads of ,c4 spicata are      
striking 8bits of colour0 where the     
grass is sparser4 ,so also are the      
lovely deep-blue1 pea-like masses of    
,vicia onobrychioides1 associating with 
,rampion1 ,arnica1 and ,martagon or     
,turk's-cap ,lily4 ,dianthus superbus   
spreads a lace-like mantle of pink and  
white over the shadier portions of the  
fields by the forest's edge2 and ,d4    
sylvestris is a glory of flesh-pink upon
 the hotter slopes by the rocks4        
,aconitum ,napellus1 blue ,monkshood or 
,char de ,venus1 is not hereabouts as on
 the higher pastures2 neither are the   
yellow and orange pea-like ,orobus      
luteus and that curious ,bellflower1    
,campanula thyrsoides1 with its stumpy  
hollow stem surmounted by a close-set   
mass of washed-out yellow flowers2 nor  

is the handsome large-flowered yellow   
,foxglove 7,digitalis ambigua7 so       
plentiful in the ,jura ,mountains and in
 other limestone districts4 ,but        
,thalictrum aquilegifolium1 most        
seductive of the ,meadowrues1 raises its
 soft-lilac or cream-white plumes--often
 beside the majestic cream-white plumes 
of ,spira ,aruncus1 ,queen of the       
,fields--in luxuriant hollows where     
dwell bushes of ,alpine ,eglantine and  
,honeysuckle4 ,in these rich1 grassy    
hollows1 too1 are noble plants of the   
sticky1 yellow ,salvia glutinosa1 or    
,jupiter's ,distaff2 the tall mauve     
,mulgedium alpinum1 the ,laitue des     
,alpes or ,alpine ,lettuce of the       
,french2 the equally tall red           
,adenostyles albifrons2 and the ,lesser 
,foxglove 7,digitalis lutea71 with dark1
 shiny foliage and packed spikes of pale
 yellow blossoms4 ,the orange-yellow    
,leopard's-,bane1 ,senecio ,doronicum1  
and the pink and white ,valeriana       
montana1 are upon the dry1 turfy banks2 

and down upon the lower slopes1 among   
the shrubs or out in the sun-baked open1
 is a brilliant concourse of yellow     
,ononis natrix1 pink ,o4 rotundifolia   
7here and there white in form71 blue1   
,thrift-like ,jasione montana1 tall1    
rich-blue1 open-flowered ,campanula     
persicifolia1 and pure yellow1          
red-stamened ,verbascum phlomoides1     
finest of the ,mulleins4 ,intense-blue  
clumps of ,hyssop enliven the hot1 shaly
 spaces2 and here1 too1 is ,linum       
tenuifolium1 a ,flax with delicate lilac
 flowers2 the ,golden ,thistle 7,carlina
 vulgaris71 which1 with the white ,c4   
acaulis1 is so useful for winter        
decoration3 the exquisite pink and white
 rambling ,vetch1 ,coronilla varia2 and 
,dianthus sylvestris and ,d4            
,carthusianorum are wellnigh everywhere 
in pink and red abundance--the latter   
sometimes running to so deep and fiery a
 shade as to be found worthy of the     
additional name of atrorubens4          
,illustration3 ,,geranium ,,sylvaticum1 

,,potentilla ,,rupestris1 ,,centaurea   
,,montana1 the pink ,bistort1 the little
 ,alpine ,bistort1 painted on the spot  
in the fields at the beginning of ,july4
   ,truly1 this is a 8sun-kissed land of
 plenty10 with ,july blazoned in tones  
of utmost triumph6 ,yet harmony1        
restraint1 refinement1 have not in any  
way been sacrificed4 ,our sense of this 
is so acute that when we return to the  
plains1 the gardens and their gorgeous  
burdens are apt to jar upon us1 as will 
vulgarity or a flagrant want of taste4  
,after some three months spent in       
intimacy with these slopes and fields1  
go down to the swallow's summer         
quarters--to ,martigny1 or elsewhere on 
the plain--and mark the ,zinnias and    
,french ,marigolds1 ,asters and         
,sweet-,williams1 and the flaming beds  
of ,petunias1 ,salvias1 and ,geraniums4 
,mark how gross seems all this          
8cultivation0 after the ,alpine         
wildness4 ,you are at once constrained  
to ask yourself4 ,what is there         

derogatory in wildness if to be         
cultivated is to be as these garden     
flowers8 ,you see at once more clearly  
than possibly you ever saw before that1 
after all1 refinement is largely a      
relative quantity1 and that even the    
,rose1 ,dean ,hole's 8,queen ,rosa10 can
 appear coarse after you have spent a   
season with the ,gentian4  ,and perhaps 
it is this feeling that can account in  
some measure for our habit of isolating 
all ,alpines upon rockworks4 ,perhaps it
 prompts us to treat them with special  
deference2 and though we will not1      
cannot deny the ,balsam1 or the         
,tropeolum1 or the ,cactus ,dahlia our  
loudest acclamations2 though we keep for
 these and suchlike products of         
cultivation a proud place in our        
affections1 hailing them as familiars   
allied most intimately to our ordinary1 
worldly natures1--though1 ,i say1 we    
hold this grosser1 gaudier vegetation   
with loving tenacity to our hearts1 yet 
is our rarer self in instant touch with 

these ,alpine wild-flowers1 and1 as it  
were1 conducts them honourably to a     
shrine apart4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,the ,aster and   
the ,edelweiss are now in bloom above   
us1 and we are 8list'ning with nice     
distant ears0 to the chime of the       
cattle-bells1 wind-wafted from the      
higher pastures1 half wishing it were   
our business to climb4 ,we could1 if we 
would1 be again with the youth of the   
year2 for one of the delightful         
possibilities of ,alpine residence is to
 be able to follow spring and summer    
well into the heart of autumn4 ,but this
 year we dare not2 our task is to watch 
these half-way fields to the end of the 
floral seasons4 ,nor is our lot a hard  
one4 ,though flower-land hereabouts is  
now nearly a dream of yesterday1 yet    
have we much that can still hold us to  
the spot1 enchanted and instructed2     
though for some few days past the fields
 have seen their best1 and are now for  
the most part spacious park-like        

pleasaunces of yellowish-green1 yet have
 we still the famous setting of         
8444 dreaming mountains1     ,lifted    
from the world together02  yet have we  
still the vast1 irreproachable arena    
which1 there is no gainsaying1 has      
helped towards the deep and lasting     
impression we have gathered from the    
meadows4  ,over yonder1 towering high   
above the ,grand ,st4 ,bernard road1 and
 reflected snow for snow and precipice  
for precipice in the placid waters of   
the lake1 is the ,grand ,combin1 one of 
the noblest units of 8those great       
constellations of snow-peaks which      
,nature has massed1 in splendid and     
prodigal confusion10 in this part of    
,switzerland2 away1 at the end of the   
,val ,ferret1 are the white and graceful
 lines of the ,grand ,golliaz1 flanked  
on the near side by the massif of       
,saleinaz1 and on the further side by   
the ,groupe du ,grand ,saint-,bernard2  
while1 immediately above us1 suffused   
with the red of the flowering           

,rhododendron1 are the steep and rocky  
masses of the ,breyaz1 the ,clocher     
d',arpette1 and the ,catogne1 that      
curious mountain that can be seen from  
,vevey and ,lausanne1 a sugarloaf-like  
cone1 blocking the very centre of the   
,rhne ,valley4  ,what a happy thing it  
is that in this neighbourhood the       
mountains are reminiscent of nothing    
except their own giant individualities4 
,how vexing when this is                
otherwise--when1 ,i mean1 there is a    
lion rock1 or a weeping woman1 or a head
 of ,napoleon in the landscape2 as when 
,mark ,twain discovered that one of the 
aiguilles flanking ,mont ,blanc 8took   
the shapely1 clean-cut form of a        
rabbit's head40 ,at ,chteau d',oex1 for 
instance1 the outline of the ,gummfluh  
is a really creditable profile likeness 
of the great ,gladstone with his collar1
 and that of the ,rubli next door       
presents the profile of ,o',connell1 the
 ,irish patriot4 ,apart from the damage 
inflicted upon the landscape by the     

intrusion of party politics1 such huge  
examples of ,nature's unconscious       
incursions into portraiture1 when once  
they have made themselves plain1 become 
a distressing obsession2 and especially 
is this so for the artist who attempts  
to paint these mountains without        
producing a puzzle-picture4             
,fortunately1 there are some places     
which up to the present seem to know    
nothing of such untoward resemblances in
 their surroundings2 fortunately1 there 
are some beauty-spots which have so far 
escaped the eye with the disturbing gift
 of 8seeing forms0 in clouds and trees  
and whatnot2 and ,champex is one such4  
,at ,champex we may rest and dream      
without fear of our indulgence          
degenerating into a nightmare4  ,but    
this is not such a season for dreaming  
as was the spring2 we are far more of   
the world than we were when the ,vernal 
,gentian1 that 8turquoise lighting a    
ground of green10 was heralding all that
 is now so rapidly falling before the   

scythe4 ,yet it must not be supposed    
that these fields have lost all power to
 nourish or stimulate the imagination4  
,the configuration and nature of the    
ground are so varied that haymaking is a
 more lengthy and irregular operation   
than it is upon the plains4 ,we have    
only to turn to the ousy land where the 
,grass-of-,parnassus#a opens its white1 
green-veined1 ,ranunculus-like flowers  
among the large1 rich-blue bells of     
,campanula ,scheuchzeri and the tall1   
paler blue spikes of ,polemonium        
cruleum1 the well-known ,jacob's ,ladder
 of our gardens2 or to the drier        
stretches where the ,heather is just    
tinting its olive-green branches with a 
suspicion of rose1 and the ,rampions1   
,arnica1 ,hieracium1 and ,brown ,gentian
 are mingling with the warm grey1       
feathery seed-heads of ,anemone         
sulphurea4 ,here we find the flowers and
 butterflies as numerous and as gay as  
ever2 here among the grasses is ,banagna
 ,atrata1 the little dull-black moth    

with white-tipped wings1 seeking        
sanctuary from the devastating work of  
the reapers2 ,zygna carniolica1 one of  
the most distinct and fascinating of the
 bright ,burnet butterflies1 a stranger 
to ,england1 greedily absorbed upon the 
flowers of the ,scabious2 numberless    
,fritillaries1 speeding hither and      
thither1 their burnished pearl-backed   
wings flashing in the sunlight1--here1  
in fact1 we have summer at its height1  
uninjured1 undisturbed--a place1 as     
,walden was1 where we may 8transact some
 private business with the fewest       
obstacles40  #a ,the name               
8,grass-of-,parnassus0 often occasions  
wonder2 for the plant1 a member of the  
,st4 ,john's ,wort tribe1 shows no      
affinity to grass4 ,anne ,pratt1 in her 
celebrated book on ,english             
,wild-flowers1 says the name possibly   
arises from the fact that the plant 8is 
as common as the very grass itself on   
,mount ,parnassus40         99       99 
99       99       99  ,messieurs les    

trangers 7how good a name67 are now     
arriving by the hundred4 ,flora's ,feast
 in this region may be said to be over1 
and the table is all but cleared4 ,for  
full two months have we been revelling  
in a luxury of colour which no other two
 months make any but an indifferent     
attempt to approach2 and it is when     
these two months have run their unique1 
delightful course that the vast majority
 of our fellows arrive4 ,how strangely  
perverse a state of things is this6 ,how
 curiously sunken in the groove of      
custom6  ,illustration3 ,,paradisia     
,,liliastrum1 the ,paradise or ,st4     
,bruno's ,lily4   ,the fields are bald1 
the slopes are shorn or ragged1 and the 
grass that is left standing is looking  
for the most part very 8seedy40 ,the    
golden-flowered1 pink-flowered1 and     
white-flowered ,sedums are blossoming   
upon the field-rocks2 the ,willow-,herb 
is lighting up the rough and stony      
places with its rosy-red spikes2 the    
,bilberry's fruit is turning a dusty    

blue and its foliage here and there is  
showing promise of a fiery autumn2 the  
,rhododendron is developing on its thick
 leaves the brilliant red excrescences  
which1 like the hairy1 red excrescences 
on our common ,dog ,rose1 are said to be
 so efficacious in cases of rheumatism2 
the dainty1 black-bordered ,damon       
8,blue0 butterfly flits from the        
,heather to stray blooms of ,arnica and 
,astrantia1 and many a brown ,erebia is 
hampered and tired out by a horde of red
 parasites beneath its wings4 ,summer1  
in fact1 is leaning obviously towards   
autumn1 and we can expect nothing more  
of note from these meadows1 except a    
lovely wealth of magenta-pink ,colchicum
 or 8,autumn ,crocus0 in ,august and    
,september4  ,when visitors1 arriving at
 this late stage in ,flora's fortunes1  
see my coloured transcripts of the      
fields in ,may and ,june1 they think    
that ,i1 like any prejudiced enthusiast1
 have falsified my evidence4 ,they find 
the pictures ben trovato1 and they say3 

8,how beautiful6 but of course you have 
used an artist's licence80 ,they look at
 the shaven or dingy fields1 then again 
at my paintings1 and they tell me       
plainly they think they can prove an    
alibi for the flowers in spring1 or1 at 
any rate1 for a greater part of those ,i
 have depicted4 ,and ,i--,i can only    
assure them their case has 8no leg to   
stand upon40 ,i can only insist that if 
they knew of my despair when seated with
 my picture among the flowers in        
spring--my despair of ever being able to
 give more than an inkling of the       
glorious riot that surrounded me--they  
would suspect the truth2 and that if    
next year they came here and witnessed  
for themselves1 then1 when again they   
looked upon my pictures1 they would curl
 the lip and speak of insufficiency4  ,i
 am aware that it is1 of course1 not    
possible for many of the late-coming    
visitors to leave the home shores       
earlier in the year3 business is        
business1 schooling is schooling1 fixed 

holidays are fixed holidays4 ,but       
without doubt there are many who could  
be more timely1 if they chose--many who 
in ,june are crowding at ,montreux1 or  
,geneva1 or ,lucerne1 thinking it too   
early for the mountains4 ,for there are 
many who are persuaded that spring is a 
dangerous period in the ,alps4 ,they    
will tell you in all seriousness1 as    
they have told me1 that it is in spring 
in the ,alps that the microbes re-awaken
 after their winter's sleep1 and that1  
therefore1 it is better to be in the    
towns2 in the towns1 mark you1 where the
 microbes1 more monstrous and numerous1 
rarely if ever1 slumber--or1 if they do 
so1 it is with one eye open6  ,then     
there are those who1 because they know  
nothing about flowers1 are convinced    
that the ,alps for them would be a place
 of ennui in the spring when high       
excursions are not yet possible4 ,but   
what a mistake it is to imagine we must 
be botanists or gardeners in order to   
feel a full joy in these fields6 ,no    

particular knowledge is required to     
appreciate them2 there is no peremptory 
need to know by name a ,geranium from an
 ,orchid1 a ,pansy from a ,cauliflower4 
,indeed1 ,i am not at all sure but that 
the 8plain man0 or woman does not really
 enjoy them more than does the plant    
specialist4 ,for joy comes mostly fuller
 with the broader moments of life1 and  
analysis is apt to injure the           
soul-stirring harmony of things4 ,and as
 the merely emotional value of these    
fields is immense1 their appeal is quite
 as general as it is particular1 perhaps
 even more so2 for the emotional        
qualities of anything are more          
acceptable to the man-in-the-street than
 are its precise and reasoned           
quantities4 ,and1 just as there are far 
fewer musicians within the ranks of     
executants than outside1 so there are   
more flower-lovers and lovers of floral 
beauty outside the ranks of botany and  
gardening than there are within4 ,thus  
amid these fields the plain1 expansive  

man or woman need be in no fear of      
ennui4 ,ennui6--why1 even when the      
visitors do come and the flowers have   
seen their best1 there is no ennui6     
,then how much more inspiring must it be
 when the fields are in their hey-day1  
not their hay-day6  ,it is1 then1 upon  
all and sundry that ,i urge the claims  
of the ,alps from the middle of ,may to 
mid-,july2 it is to the merest tyro in  
plant-lore1 as well as to the botanical 
and gardening enthusiast1 that ,i say1  
and say in all persuasiveness of        
conviction3 8,you know not what you miss
 by failing      #8,to catch the        
master-note of ,nature's lyre'2  you    
know not what you lose by neglecting the
 call of the flowers from off these     
,alpine fields40  ,go where you         
will--,champex alone is not the ,alpine 
throne of ,flora2 she reigns superbly to
 right and left1 from ,neuchatel to     
,valais1 from ,tessin to ,geneva--go    
where you will amid the ,alps and you   
will find fields that shall enchant you1

 rejuvenating your spirit and causing   
the 8knapsack of custom10 full of 8city 
estimates of great and small1 wise and  
foolish10 to slip from your back4 ,the  
plains of the world are the better for  
the mountains of the world1 and in no   
respect more so than when the mountains 
are a-flower4     ,,chapter ,x  ,,the   
,,autumn ,,crocus      8,tu viens1      
,automne1     ,tu viens ensevelir dans  
tes habits de fte     ,les cadavres     
couchs au champ de leur dfaite40        
,,aloys ,,blondel 7the ,swiss ,poet74   
,perhaps the only flower to bless1 and  
bless again1 the passage of the scythe  
over the damp slopes and fields of      
,alpine ,switzerland is ,colchicum      
autumnale1 the so-called ,autumn        
,crocus2 for1 from the close-cropped    
grass it pushes up its blossoms when all
 other field-growth has done its utmost4
 ,what sorry plight it would be in if   
the tall yellowing plants and grasses   
were still left standing1 cumbering the 
ground with a dense and matted          

vegetation6 ,it would be smothered2 or1 
at best1 it would have a fearsome       
struggle to see the sky4 ,one wonders   
how it contrived when1 in ages past1    
these meadows went uncut4 ,one wonders  
if the active appetites of browsing     
animals sufficed to clear the ground in 
anticipation of its scheduled advent2   
and1 should this not have been the case1
 one wonders if at that time it were an 
inhabitant of such fields as these1 or  
whether it were denizened in more       
propitious places8  ,for as soon as the 
haymakers have gone their way1 this     
lovely flower begins its apparition4    
,often1 even within a week of the       
haymakers' visit1 hundreds upon hundreds
 of its creamy-white pointed buds will  
show as if by magic above the close     
turf2 and after a day or two more of    
sunshine1 the fields will have regained 
what is almost springtime life and      
gaiety4 ,many of us were sighing whilst 
we watched the scythe's disastrous      
progress1 and were saying that all was  

over and it was time to be moving       
plainwards2 but those of us who knew1   
said3 8,wait--wait6 ,these fields have  
yet another trump-card to play60        
8,what awe and worship follow in her    
wake1     ,when ,nature works wild magic
 all her own60  ,a week ago we looked   
for colour to the autumn-infected bush  
and tree1 and now quite suddenly1 over  
the tired fields1 there steals a pale   
magenta glow1 almost as the spring-glow 
spread by the ,bird's-,eye or ,mealy    
,primrose2 a week ago we lived and      
dreamed upon the past1 and now we are   
startled back to the present by this1   
8the last that the damp earth           
yields0--last but not least--last but in
 some ways equal to the first4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,this ,colchicum receives1 in spring1 in
 summer1 and in autumn1 as much general 
attention as any plant in ,alpine or    
sub-,alpine vegetation4 ,in spring and  
summer the cluster of rich-green        
,lily-like leaves attracts the eye and  

raises the curiosity and expectation of 
even the casual observer1 especially    
when this observer notices what he      
almost invariably takes to be a         
flower-bud nestling in the heart of the 
leaves2 for if there is one family of   
plants which the world worships more    
than another1 it is the ,lily family4   
,and this ,autumn ,crocus is very       
commonly taken for a ,lily--a ,lily soon
 to burst into rare and glorious bloom4 
,illustration3 ,,rosa ,,alpina1 the     
thornless ,alpine ,eglantine4  ,but it  
is not the flower-bud our casual        
observer sees2 it is the seed-head4 ,the
 plant blooms1 leafless1 in the autumn2 
its seed-vessel is tucked away for the  
winter a foot or more beneath the       
surface of the ground1 to rise with the 
leaves in the spring1 and to ripen with 
the leaves in the summer4 ,yet1 if our  
casual friend is wrong as regards the   
nature of the seed-head in the spring1  
he is right as regards the nature of the
 leaves2 though he is again wrong in the

 autumn1 and this time as regards the   
nature of the flower4 ,for the          
,colchicum is not a ,crocus4 ,although  
its magenta-pink blossom is of          
,crocus-like form1 it has six stamens   
and three styles with which the         
humble-bee may busy himself2 whereas the
 ,crocus has but three stamens and one  
style4 ,there does exist a purple       
autumnal ,crocus--,crocus nudiflorus1   
indigenous to ,england1 and with the    
same habit of flowering and producing   
its seed as the ,colchicum's--but this  
and the ,colchicum belong to different  
natural orders4  ,the ,colchicum is a   
member of the ,lily family1 and1 as     
such1 is related to some of the most    
distinguished members of the            
flower-world4 ,for this reason1 too1 it 
is allied to such diverse plants as the 
,herb ,paris1 the ,lily-of-the-,valley1 
the ,asparagus1 and the ,spiked ,star of
 ,bethlehem 7,ornithogalum pyrenaicum71 
an indigenous ,english plant whose young
 spring shoots are sold and eaten in    

,bath as 8,french0 ,asparagus4 ,it has  
also as blood-relation the ,onion and   
the ,garlic1 which1 according to        
,professor ,g4 ,s4 ,boulger1 8were given
 divine honours by the ancient          
,egyptians02 also the curious ,butcher's
 ,broom or ,knee ,holly1 and the real   
,star of ,bethlehem 7,ornithogalum      
umbellatum71 whose bulbs in ,palestine  
are cooked and eaten4  ,but if the bulbs
 and young shoots of some members of    
this singularly 8mixed0 family are      
esteemed as table delicacies1 not so the
 bulbs and shoots of the ,colchicum1 for
 these are poisonous to a high          
degree--in fact1 the whole of the plant 
may be labelled 8,dangerous40 ,although 
the flower is less poisonous than the   
seed and the bulb1 yet many a time ,i   
have seen bees which had sought refuge  
from the night or from rough and stormy 
weather1 lying prone and stark within   
the lovely pink chalices1 victims of a  
misplaced confidence4 ,the seed contains
 a deadly alkaloid 7colchicin71 used    

especially in cases of gout4 ,where the 
plant grows in quantities it depreciates
 the value of the meadows2 for the      
cattle1 wiser in their generation than  
the bees1 give it a wide berth at all   
seasons4 ,and it is no easy subject to  
drive from the fields when once it has  
gained firm footing4 ,it buries its dark
 chestnut-coloured1 scaly bulb at least 
a foot down in the peaty soil1          
necessitating the cutting of a          
good-sized hole before it can be        
extirpated4 ,hence1 if it is growing as 
it almost invariably does1 in fairly    
close-packed abundance1 the meadow will 
have to be deep-dug all over2 and such  
radical measure as this the peasants as 
a rule refuse to take1 contenting       
themselves with pulling up the leaf and 
stalk before the fields are cut1 or with
 sorting them out from the new-mown hay4
  ,as a plant indigenous to the ,british
 ,isles it is very local1 though widely 
distributed4 ,saffron ,walden1 in       
,essex1 is named after it1 and it is    

found in ,ireland and in some parts of  
,scotland1 especially upon the damp     
meadows of limestone districts4  ,the   
name ,colchicum1 of ,greek origin1 is   
said to be derived from ,colchis1 a     
province in ,asia famous for poisonous  
herbs4 ,in ,england1 besides the names  
of ,autumn ,crocus and ,meadow ,saffron 
7,crocus sativus is really the true     
,saffron ,crocus71 its flower is known  
in some parts of the country as ,naked  
,boy1 and in ,dorset as ,naked ,lucy1 an
 allusion1 of course1 to it being bare  
of leaves4 ,in ,france its popular names
 are seemingly more various1 and besides
 the general one of ,colchique1 it has  
those of ,veilleuse1 ,veillotte1        
,violon1 ,vache1 and ,tue-chien2 while  
in the patois of ,marseilles it is known
 as ,bramo-,vaco1 and in that of        
,gascony as ,safra ds prats4 ,in        
,germany its best-known appellation is  
,herbst-,zeitlose4  ,there is an ,alpine
 form of the ,meadow                    
,saffron--,colchicum alpinum--and this  

is to be found upon the fields from an  
altitude of about #c1jjj feet to some   
#d1ejj feet1 according to ,m4 ,henry    
,correvon1 and from about #a1hjj feet to
 some #f1jjj feet1 according to         
,professor ,flahault4 ,mr4 ,newell      
,arber calls it a rare plant 8sometimes 
found in ,canton ,tessin and the        
,valais10 but my own experience is that 
it is local rather than rare1 and that  
it is fairly frequent in ,canton        
,valais1 especially in non-limestone    
regions4 ,its habit is the same as that 
of autumnale3 two to three upright      
leaves surrounding the fruit in the     
spring1 and the flowers appearing       
8naked0 in autumn upon 8dim fields fresh
 with blooming dew40 ,but the leaves are
 narrower than those of autumnale1 and  
the flower is smaller1 daintier1 more   
petite1 with a suspicion of             
canary-yellow tinting the stem1 which1  
in autumnale1 is white or creamy-white4 
,i have sometimes noted the             
two--autumnale and alpinum--hob-nobbing 

upon the same slope or field4 ,such     
fraternity exists1 for instance1 quite  
near to the snug little village of      
,trient1 beneath the ,col de la ,forclaz
 and the ,col de ,balme1 and again on a 
rich grassy slope by the lake of        
,champex2 and where this occurs the     
difference between the two flowers is   
manifest4 ,colchicum alpinum may be only
 the ,alpine form of autumnale1 but if  
it is1 it is1 ,i believe1 a fixed       
form--a form which1 unlike some ,alpine 
forms of lowland flowers 7such as1 for  
example1 ,anthyllis vulneraria71        
steadfastly maintains its highland      
character when transported to the       
gardens of the plain4 ,for if           
instability exists1 why should we find  
upon the fields where both do           
congregate1 no intermediate forms       
marking the passage of autumnale to     
alpinum and vice versa8 ,i believe it to
 be as constant as is ,gentiana         
brachyphylla1 although this is said to  
be but a high ,alpine form of ,g4 verna4

 ,i believe it to be as 8constant as the
 northern star40         99       99    
99       99       99  ,in a poem to     
8,noon10 ,michael ,field sings3         
8444 ,sharply on my mind     ,presses   
the sorrow2 fern and flower are blind02 
and this is no uncommon thought1 no     
uncommon 8sorrow0 for others than poets 
to have4 ,pity for the dear1 blind      
flowers2 pity1 therefore1 for such a    
flower as the ,autumn ,crocus2 is it    
justified8 ,i imagine it is not4 ,i     
venture even to say ,i am sure it is    
not4  ,here is a flower that is         
exceptional4 ,it defies the general     
rule1 the usual sequence of life for    
flowers4 ,it reverses the customary     
order of events and1 so to speak1 turns 
day into night4 ,and it does so with the
 utmost felicity4 ,its well-being is    
ideal1 for it shows perfect adaptation  
to its circumstance4 ,what1 then1 have  
we8 8,what rumour of what mystery80 ,can
 it be a rumour of disability through   
blindness8 ,is it a rumour of the       

mystery of justice8 ,is it1 that is to  
say1 a rumour of 8injustice08 ,i think  
not2 nay1 ,i am sure not4 ,it is1 if you
 ask me1 a rumour of that wide and      
many-sided efficiency to which we refer 
when we declare3 8,there are more ways  
than one of killing a cat40  ,the fault 
is quite a common one with us4 ,we fall 
into it each time we talk of            
animals--the 8poor1 dumb animals40      
,wherefore poor8 ,wherefore dumb8 ,man1 
noisily verbose1 condescends to         
commiserate with anything less noisy or 
less verbose than himself4 ,to him1 an  
absence of capacity for a volubility    
matching his own marks unhappiness4     
,what1 he asks1 would not a cow give for
 humanity's gift of the gab8 ,anything  
short of a garrulous chatterbox of a    
mouse must be a wretched mouse6  ,how   
contorted a view to take when every     
living thing 7except1 perhaps1 man7 is  
capable of adequate communion with its  
kind1 and when that which is adequate is
 happy6 ,the method of communication may

 not be man's method2 he may not        
understand a sound of it1 and there may 
even be no sound for him to hear2       
nevertheless there is language clear and
 effective--perhaps more clear and more 
effective than his own4 ,who shall say  
the language of the ant or the bee is   
not more developed and more efficient   
than either ,english or ,chinese8       
,efficiency does not ultimately lie in  
complexity1 neither does it ultimately  
depend upon noise4  ,i have no doubt    
that a horse1 unless he has better      
sense1 feels the profoundest pity for   
his garrulous master1 and counts him    
among the most unhappy of his           
acquaintances4 ,a lion's roar or a bat's
 squeak may contain a wealth of         
information such as it would take ,man  
an hour's hard talking to translate2 and
 both may indicate a world of happiness4
  ,man1 the rowdiest animal in          
,creation1 is also the most conceited4  
,he is for ever thanking his stars he is
 not as others are2 and this enables him

 to misplace a vast amount of pity4 ,i  
warrant the poor1 dumb1 grunting pig is 
perfectly happy--far happier than the   
most glib of human orators2 and far more
 to the point4 ,poor1 dumb animals8     
,why1 what a poor1 talkative creature is
 man6 ,and how unmindful of his own     
proverb about 8little pitchers06  ,eyes 
are not everything1 ears are not        
everything1 tongues are not everything4 
,neither are eyes1 ears1 and tongues    
together everything4 ,there is sight    
without eyes1 hearing without ears1 and 
speech without tongues4 ,science can    
prove it1 when ,science chooses4 ,for   
there is sense behind our senses--sense 
as unerring as any declared by our      
senses4 ,i have1 indeed1 a shrewd       
suspicion that we may be poor beside the
 ant2 and ,i have a somewhat            
uncomfortable feeling that in some ways 
we may be paupers beside poor1 blind    
,colchicum autumnale4   ,illustration3  
,young plants of ,,veratrum ,,album1    
together with ,,salvia ,,pratensis1     

,,phyteuma ,,betonic,,folium1 ,p4       
,,orbiculare1 the white and the yellow  
,euphrasia1 and the yellow ,clover1     
drawn on the spot at the beginning of   
,july4          99       99       99    
99       99  ,have you ever stayed for  
autumn in the ,alps8 ,have you seen the 
,bilberry glowing among the stolid      
,rhododendron2 the ,eglantine and       
,berberis bowing beneath the weight of  
their fiery fruit2 the long-tailed and  
the crested titmouse hunting in tuneful 
bands from sombre ,pine to yellowing    
,larch2 the massed companies of piping  
choughs surveying for food-stuff upon   
the open slopes2 and the dark grey or   
russet viper basking boldly on the      
sun-baked path8 ,have you known the     
mists and mystery that soften the great 
and gorgeous carnival with which ,nature
 celebrates the closing of the round of 
her live seasons8 ,if you have1 then you
 will1 ,i know1 bear witness with me to 
the fullness of this season's allure2   
you will agree that everything around   

you is in rich accord to sing a glad1   
gay pan ere taking a meed of well-earned
 repose2 and you will admit that1 as an 
item in this splendid spectacle1 nothing
 is more important1 more appropriate1   
than ,colchicum autumnale and alpinum4  
,among the most delightful of life's    
moments are many of life's surprises1   
and in the floral world few surprises   
can supply more delightful moments than 
the unexpected advent of this 8,crocus0 
8444 fashioned in the secret mint of    
things     ,and bidden to be here40     
,spring tries hard to repeat herself in 
the two ,meadow ,saffrons4 ,one day     
8,the meadows are waving high     ,with 
plumy grasses of grey02  the next1 the  
scythe comes1 and1 like ,harlequin's    
wand1 passes restless athwart the ripe  
scene--and1 hey1 presto6 the fields have
 all the closeness of the fields in     
springtime1 and are studded with        
countless rosy stars of the ,autumn     
,crocus1 just as1 in the first days of  
the year1 they are studded with the     

myriad rosy stars of ,bulbocodium       
vernum1 near relative of our tardy      
,colchique4 ,it is ,september struggling
 to be ,may or1 even1 ,april4 ,it is the
 goddess of the flower-fields bidding us
 to a rosy hope in her recurrent reign4 
,and yet1 and yet--autumn is noticeably 
in the blood of things4 ,this is not    
quite the rosiness of the year's youth4 
,there is something of mauve in it2     
something of a becoming consideration   
for old age4 ,it is obviously an        
autumnal pink--a pink which falls       
without ado into the glorious           
colour-scheme of ,nature's kindling     
funeral-pyre4 ,it has something of the  
spirit of the colouring surrounding a   
,chinese burial4 ,there is sadness1 if  
you will2 but there is gladness1 whether
 you will or not4 ,chopin's famous      
,funeral ,march might have been inspired
 by autumn's pale-magenta 8,crocus40    
,,part ,,ii  ,a ,,plea      8,viens au  
jardin6 ,viens au jardin6 ,je veux te   
dire     ,ce que je pense1 car ma pense 

est  toi     ,comme la brume au sol et  
la fume au toit4     ,viens au jardin60 
,,rosemonde ,g,,rard1 ,les ,jardins4    
,,chapter ,,xi  ,,alpine ,,fields ,,for 
,,england       8,en multipliant la     
beaut1 en donnant au monde des humbles  
le      sens de la sincre beaut1 vous   
lui aurez fait la plus exquise et       
peut-tre la plus utile des              
charits40--,,pierre ,,vignot4   ,the    
title of this chapter will come as a    
shock to some1 and they will think it an
 insult to1 and an outrage upon1        
,nature's existing efforts for ,english 
meadows4 ,in my previous volume1        
8,alpine ,flowers and ,gardens10 ,i     
ventured some mild wonder 8that more    
attempts are not made in ,england to    
create ,alpine pastures10 and ,i added3 
8,alpine rockworks we have in hundreds1 
but a stretch of meadow-land sown or    
planted with ,alpine field-flowers seems
 as yet to be but rarely attempted40    
,and of this mild wonder some of my     
critics fell foul1 and ,i was told that 

,i seemed 8to forget the peculiar beauty
 of ,english pasture as it is1 with its 
buttercups1 cowslips1 and orchis1       
daisies and red sorrel40 ,but let me    
reassure these nervous champions of what
 is 8made in ,england40 ,i will be the  
last to slight or traduce the exquisite 
restraint of our typical home-fields1 or
 to despise the spirit that can         
appreciate their charm and place it     
higher than the charm of alien fields4  
,the inhabitants of a country are       
intimately affected by the country's    
fields1 and an ,englishman is far more a
 product of his meadows than even he    
would suppose4 ,his sturdy advocacy of a
 floral sufficiency which stops at      
,dandelions and ,buttercups is part     
proof of this4 ,reciprocity in ,nature  
is a very subtle and far-reaching law1  
and man owes much of his temperament and
 habit of mind to the landscape and its 
constituent parts4 ,in this way1        
undoubtedly1 the ,englishman is largely 
indebted to the comparative taciturnity 

of his fields4 ,far be from me1 then1 to
 under-rate their value and their charm4
  ,and yet1 may ,i not think that this  
value and charm can perhaps be          
augmented8 ,we love and revel in our    
native meadows as they are--their       
,buttercups1 their ,dandelions1 their   
,daisies1 and their ,grasses2 how much  
greater would not the love and revel be 
if here and there a generous measure of 
,swiss mountain-wealth were added8 ,such
 measure would be no violent innovation2
 it would be a natural amplification of 
the hereditary trend of our instinct for
 the beautiful4 ,swiss mountain-fields  
are not like ,japanese gardens3 our     
nature responds to them without         
affectation1 for in them our mind       
8,doth straight its own resemblance     
find40  ,it is all very well for        
confirmed materialists to say we have   
not to study this side of the question  
because it is too fanciful2 it is not to
 be dismissed by calling us mystics4    
,fancy has led men to much that is now  

inseparable from their understanding1   
and the mystic has stood for ages upon  
spots where ,science is only now        
confidently placing her foot4 ,really   
and truly1 too1 the sthetic aspect of   
life comes under the head of the        
utilitarian1 and it matters more than   
much that is deemed material4 ,ruskin   
thought that 8a wood of ,english trees  
is of more value to humanity than a     
,bank20 but this savours of too dogmatic
 thinking1 and of the extreme dream of a
 specialist enthusiast4 ,without drawing
 invidious comparisons between the      
utilities of life1 we may say that the  
woods and fields have an importance all 
their own1 and that1 by increasing their
 beauty1 we increase their importance4  
,i do not for one instant think that in 
,maytime we could improve upon the      
weighty wealth of ,hawthorn set amid    
knee-deep meadows of ,buttercups and    
,parsnips2 for the rare witchery of it  
all is unmistakable4 ,i would leave it  
as it stands3 ,british par excellence1  

unrivalled for quiet prosperity1 for    
unique felicity4 ,nor would ,i tamper   
with the wealth of ,primrose copse1 or  
attempt to meddle with the woods of     
,bluebells1 ,daffodils1 and ,foxgloves4 
,to do any such thing would be purest   
sacrilege--and a wild conceit into the  
bargain6 ,no1 no2 there is much1 very   
much in ,britain's countryside that     
rightly stands in the front rank of     
,nature's happiest creations1 and it    
were mad impertinence to think to oust  
it or to improve it by inept additions4 
,but these front-rank marvels are not   
everywhere4 ,many is the spot that might
 reasonably be bettered2 many the       
wayside field1 copse1 bank1 or          
railway-cutting that would repay us for 
a little help2 and it is in such places 
7pax1 ,o ,farmer6 have ,i not gone round
 to avoid treading on your              
property87--it is with regard to such   
places that ,i do suggest we might take 
a leaf from ,nature's ,alpine book4     
,illustration3 ,,arnica1 the ,brown     

,gentian 7,g4 purpurea71 ,,campanula    
,,barbata1 and the fiery little         
,,hieracium ,,aurantiacum1 painted from 
life in the fields towards the middle of
 ,july4   ,but why1 some will ask--why  
interfere with our indigenous           
field-flowers1 and thus with our        
pure-bred ,english fields2 why cause    
anything so individual to become        
mongrel8 ,and this sounds plausible     
until we examine the pedigree of some of
 our 8indigenous0 flowers1 and find that
 they are 8doubtful natives10 and owe   
their presence among us to the ,roman   
invader or are 8escapes from            
cultivation40 ,precedent is therefore on
 our side4 ,then why should not we of   
this twentieth century do as did the    
,romans for ,britain--only with a little
 more method1 not trusting to the seed  
of ,alpine field-flowers coming         
inadvertently to ,england in our        
portmanteaux1 our boots1 or our hair8   
,we ought not to be afraid of the       
inevitable trend of things towards a    

more general1 more common aspect4 ,we   
may well nurse some particular          
individuality so long as it is eminently
 useful1 but at the same time we should 
leave our judgment open with regard to  
accretion1 or1 as the dictionary calls  
it1 8increase by natural growth40       
,insularity is a disappearing quantity1 
and there surely will and must come a   
time when we shall chiefly hear of it   
from books of ancient history and       
scandalous ,mmoires4  ,but if for the   
present we cannot bring ourselves to    
continue systematically the work of the 
,romans1 let us at least take in hand   
some of the field-plants we have already
 with us1 and induce them to become more
 general and abundant4 ,even in that way
 we should approach to something of     
,alpine prodigality2 for there is quite 
a goodly number of ,british plants among
 the colour-giving subjects of an       
,alpine meadow4 ,there is1 for instance1
 ,geranium sylvaticum 7the rose or      
blue-mauve ,wood ,crane's-bill71 rare1  

and found mostly upon pastures in the   
north2 or there is ,astrantia major 7the
 pinky-green-and-white ,masterwort71 an 
8escape10 near ,ludlow and ,malvern2 or 
,phyteuma spicata 7the cream-coloured   
,rampion71 found only in ,sussex2 or    
,salvia pratensis 7the rich-blue ,meadow
 ,clary71 scarce1 and confined to fields
 in ,kent1 ,oxfordshire1 and ,cornwall2 
or ,polemonium cruleum 7the blue        
,jacob's ,ladder or ,greek ,valerian71  
rare1 and confined to the north of      
,england4 ,why should not such as these 
be brought from out their hiding and be 
induced to people propitious places in a
 more abundant way8  ,no sooner1        
however1 does 8sweet reasonableness0    
begin to dawn upon our imaginations1 and
 we commence to take kindly to our idea1
 than we are confronted by the irate    
farmer--hasty and nervous lest we and   
our 8weeds0 have designs upon his       
domain--upbraiding us for daring to     
suggest such palpably bad farming4 ,but 
we have no intent to meddle with his    

meadows4 ,yet if we had1 what answer can
 we make him8 ,is it of any use for us  
to point to ,swiss experience of flowery
 pastures1 telling him that the finest  
cheeses--those of ,gruyre and           
,emmenthal--are made on the middle or   
lower 8alpen10 and that1 in fact1 they  
come from fields which are literally    
crammed with lovely flowering plants8   
,is it of any use assuring him that cows
 fed on the comparatively flowerless    
fields of ,fully1 for example1 opposite 
,martigny in the ,rhne ,valley1 give not
 only less1 but less rich milk than     
those fed on the fields of ,chemin1     
,chables1 or ,champex1 and that1        
whenever possible1 the flowerless hay   
goes to the horses8 ,is it of any use   
pointing out these facts to our         
scandalised friend8 ,possibly not4      
,possibly he will retort3 8,necessity   
makes high use of just whatsoever is    
within reach2 other lands other ways2   
circumstance creates ideals40 ,and quite
 possibly he will be right4         99  

99       99       99       99  ,but     
whatever may be said in disparagement of
 the introduction of ,alpine plants into
 ,england's fields in general1 little or
 no objection can be made to fields of  
such plants as adjuncts to ,alpine      
rock-gardens1 or as embellishments to   
park and pleasaunce4 ,here we are in a  
domain which is 8orthodoxly0 regarded as
 sthetic1 and not as practical or       
utilitarian4 ,and1 after all1 we had    
best begin by the thin end of the       
wedge--we had best commence with these  
flower-fields as a 8luxury02            
afterwards--as is quite likely--we may  
be able to chronicle 8escapes0 into the 
general scheme of the countryside4  ,i  
can think of no feature of the ,alpine  
landscape which could add so much charm 
and interest to ,english ,alpine gardens
 as an ,alpine meadow1 and it is no mean
 matter for surprise that this feature  
has not so far claimed the attention it 
most assuredly merits4 ,moreover1 an    
,alpine rock-garden shorn of its        

meadow-setting is less than a picture   
devoid of its frame4 ,can any one who   
knows the ,alps imagine what they and   
their rock-flora would be without the   
fields and grassy slopes8 ,would there  
be the same widespread and immediate    
interest8 ,it is inconceivable1 for     
these fields and slopes are1 as it were1
 the exquisitely sumptuous hall through 
which1 amazed and wondering1 we pass to 
gain the rudeness and refinement of     
,alpine asceticism proper4  ,then there 
is another and1 ,i think1 a crying      
reason for the creation of fields to    
supplement our rockworks2 we garden at  
present1 for the most part1 as if all   
,alpines were rock-plants1 whereas quite
 an important percentage are purely     
field-flowers4 ,it will be said that in 
,england's comparatively luxurious      
climate the grasses would overwhelm the 
,alpines and that1 therefore1 it is only
 wise to place these latter out of      
harm's way4 ,but1 although there        
certainly are some subjects of an       

,alpine meadow which could scarcely be  
expected to grapple successfully with   
,english conditions1 yet there is a     
whole host that could do so1 especially 
if care were taken to choose suitable   
grasses and to exclude certain ,english 
weeds 7the ,field ,bindweed1 for        
example1 or the ,plantain74 ,in         
advocating any such adoption as the     
present1 we must not be so unphilosophic
 as to be sweeping and dogmatic2 we must
 be quick to recognise that such        
subjects of the ,alpine grass-lands as  
,viola calcarata and ,gentiana verna1   
excisa1 and nivalis shall of necessity  
be ushered to the rockwork when they    
arrive in our island home4 ,but1        
frankly1 ,i believe there are many of   
these plants which would be altogether  
grateful to find themselves in a field  
rather than in a garden-border or upon a
 rockery4  ,will any one deny that a    
plant which1 in a wild1 free state1     
invariably chooses to dwell upon the    
meadows is not more at home there than  

when robbed of such pressing1           
self-sought company8 ,will any one deny 
that1 for instance1 ,campanula          
rhomboidalis1 ,paradisia ,liliastrum1   
,salvia pratensis1 ,narcissus poeticus1 
,veratrum album1 or ,phyteuma           
betonicifolium are not infinitely       
happier when growing together in close  
company with grasses than when standing 
in select isolation upon the rockery or 
the garden-border8  ,possibly it will be
 argued that these field-plants show    
themselves so much better on the border 
or the rockwork4 ,but do they8 ,does    
,colchicum1 for example1 look better    
against the brown earth of a border than
 upon a thick-set carpet of green8 ,does
 ,veronica spicata ever look better than
 when seen upon the fields of the ,alps8
 ,is it possible that the               
,meadow-,orchids are not at their best  
among the grasses8 ,for my own part1 ,i 
find many of these plants look thin and 
lonesome when carefully set apart 8to do
 themselves full justice40 ,in nature   

they are items in a rich reciprocal     
scheme of intimacy1 and in this         
assuredly is their truest happiness2    
therefore1 as part of this scheme they  
must certainly be seen at their best4   
,snatched from their social birthright  
and perched in grandeur upon a rockwork1
 they cannot but have wistful thoughts  
of lost companionship4  ,owners of      
rockworks may protest that they do all  
they possibly can for their captives1   
treating them as tenderly as they would 
any beautiful bird in a cage2 they may  
protest that their captives are fed and 
watered most carefully and know little  
or nothing of the struggle for existence
 which rules upon ,alpine meadows4 ,and 
this is all very right and proper as far
 as it goes2 but very many of these     
plants could be treated even more kindly
 and properly by allowing them something
 of their ancestral habits4 ,that which 
untrammelled ,nature decrees for her    
offspring is inevitably best1 and we    
should take practical note of it where  

possible4 ,we ourselves are rebels and1 
as modern instance shows1 are very      
conscious of it in our more rational    
moments1 crying aloud in a hazy1        
frightened way1 that we must 8get back  
to ,nature60 ,why1 then1 compel         
rebellion in so many a thing we admire8 
,such compulsory estrangement from what 
is natural is a sorry sort of kindness4 
,let us put back the field-flowers into 
the fields--or1 at any rate1 as many as 
we may4  ,to a great number of          
flower-lovers this would be a much      
simpler matter than the building and    
tending of rockworks 7though1 of course1
 the ideal should be for the field to   
companion or environ the rockery74 ,it  
would be less complicated1 and it would 
not entail such a variety of specialist 
knowledge4 ,many of a kind1 and each    
kind robust and1 for the most part1     
ordinary--that should be the rule among 
the plants for our ,alpine meadow4      
,fractious1 exigent rarities would      
naturally not be welcome4 ,fields are   

perhaps loveliest when planned upon     
broad lines4 ,there is no need to make  
extraordinary efforts to find sports and
 forms2 no need to do more than ,nature 
does--here and there a white or         
porcelain-grey ,campanula rhomboidalis1 
here and there a pale-pink ,geranium    
sylvaticum1 here and there a white      
,salvia pratensis1 here and there a     
white ,colchicum autumnale4 ,forms and  
sports and vagaries are all very well1  
but in these meadows it is the          
type-plant which counts4 ,a field of    
,salvia1 ,campanula1 and ,geranium is   
blue and mauve2 that is the general     
effect1 and variation from it rarely    
counts in the colour-scheme4            
,eccentricity we may keep for the proud 
eminence of our rockworks4              
,illustration3 ,the tall yellow         
,,hypoch,,ris ,,uniflora1 ,,centaurea   
,,uniflora1 the ,golden ,hawkweed       
7,crepis aurea7 drawn from life in the  
,july fields4          99       99      
99       99       99  ,if it is not     

possible to transplant to the plains the
 clean1 invigorating air which goes so  
far to form the joy exhaled of ,alpine  
meadows2 if we may not lay on the       
wonderful atmosphere of the ,alps as we 
may the ozone from the seaside1--we can 
at least take the flowers1 those        
brilliant children of the ,alpine ether1
 and thus help materially towards       
mountain purity in our parks and        
gardens4 ,some of the gaiety might be   
lost in the process--some of that       
intensity of colouring which steals over
 the very grass as it climbs the        
mountain-side and encroaches upon the   
kingdom of the ,rhododendron4 ,astrantia
 major might lose its rosy-magenta blush
 and assume a more or less livid        
green-white2 ,lychnis1 ,geranium1 and   
,salvia might lack something of their   
,alpine lustre2 a certain mildness might
 reign generally in the place of        
mountain briskness2 but1 on the whole1  
the loss to the flowers would be small  
and the gain to the garden or the       

landscape immense1 and we should find   
that we had annexed much of the charm   
and joy of ,alpine days--      8,days   
lit with the flame of the lamps of the  
flowers40     ,,chapter ,,xii  ,,some   
,,ways ,,and ,,means       8,no gardener
 has made experiments1 however small1 in
 the formation      of a rock garden and
 the culture of ,alpine plants without  
bringing      a new gladness to himself 
and others40--,s4 ,,reynolds ,,hole1 ,a 
,book      ,about the ,garden4   ,for   
such as wish to set about creating an   
,alpine meadow1 either as an attractive 
feature of their pleasure-grounds       
or--which is more to the point--as a    
completing part of their rock-garden1   
let me at once say that this volume is  
no detailed vade mecum1 and that1 for   
the cultural requirements of the plants 
mentioned1 recourse must be had to the  
many good books already dealing with    
that phase of the subject4 ,all that is 
pretended here is to point the way to a 
much-neglected path in ,alpine          

circumstance and to attempt to arouse   
the necessary enthusiasm for its better 
and more just appreciation1 incidentally
 indicating what may be novel in its    
aspect and untouched by ,alpine         
gardening books4 ,to this end1 then1 ,i 
would try to conjure up a representative
 field or meadow of the ,alps4 ,but1    
before doing so1 let me impress upon the
 reader that1 not only will it be no    
,alpine field in the popular sense1 but 
that we may occasionally have to descend
 even to the fields of the ,swiss plain 
in order to find one or two subjects    
which we can use with advantage to      
enrich our scheme--plants such as the   
,star of ,bethlehem and ,scilla bifolia4
 ,the ,swiss plains lie high when judged
 by ,english standards2 rarely1 if ever1
 do they fall below some #a1bjj feet4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,the field ,i have in my mind's eye as  
,i write these lines is one which1 8with
 its early and exquisite diversities of 
form and colour0--to quote again from   

,dean ,hole's little book--8is a new and
 large delight40 ,it is one in which the
 bulbs1 hundreds upon hundreds in number
 and about five in kind1 burst into life
 with the grass in the first days of    
spring4 ,white and purple ,crocus       
vernus1 rosy ,crocus-like ,bulbocodium  
vernum1 and yellow ,gagea are the       
first-comers1 quickly followed by the   
golden ,daffodil 7,narcissus            
,pseudo-narcissus71 the bright blue     
,scilla bifolia1 the green-and-white    
,star of ,bethlehem 7,ornithogalum      
umbellatum7 and its handsome            
large-flowered relative1 ,o4 nutans4    
,then1 following close upon the ,violet1
 ,cowslip1 and ,oxlip1 come the earlier 
of the ,orchids--,orchis ,morio1 ,o4    
mascula1 and ,o4 maculata4 ,a little    
later ,myosotis sylvestris spreads a    
blue haze over the field1 aiding most   
admirably the lively pink of ,orchis    
7,gymnadenia7 conopsea1 and rendering   
the appearance of ,paradisia            
,liliastrum1 the paper-white ,paradise  

,lily1 daintier than ever4 ,and now ,i  
see a glorious multitude of             
,pheasant-eye ,narcissus 7,narcissus    
poeticus71 with here and there a tall1  
deep blue or purple ,columbine4         
,lemon-yellow ,biscutella lvigata1 too1 
clear-blue ,linum alpinum1 and white    
,potentilla rupestris blend their       
blossoms to produce a lovely harmony in 
true spring-like key4 ,muscari comosum  
throws up its curious blue-purple       
spikes1 over-topped by the white sprays 
of ,anthericum ,liliago4 ,and in the    
moister part of the meadow ,i see great 
colonies of ,ranunculus aconitifolius   
and the yellow ,globe-,flower 7,trollius
 europus7 sown in most happy manner with
 our ,ragged-,robin 7,lychnis           
,flos-cuculi71 presently to be joined by
 bright-pink regiments of ,bistort or   
,snakeweed 7,polygonum ,bistorta74 ,and 
then1 when ,centaurea montana1          
accompanied by ,geranium sylvaticum1    
,salvia pratensis1 ,lychnis dioica 7the 
,red ,catchfly71 ,silene ,cucubalus 7the

 ,bladder ,campion71 and ,polemonium    
cruleum usher in the summer1 the field  
is rich indeed in blue1 mauve1 lilac1   
red1 and pink1 with a distinct leaning  
towards blue1 mauve1 and lilac4 ,and    
these colours seem to hold their own to 
the end4 ,white may come with the       
,ox-eye ,daisy 7,chrysanthemum          
leucanthemum7 and the many ,umbellifer2 
red may come with brilliant ,centaurea  
uniflora and crimson ,c4 nigra1 the     
common ,hard-head2 yellow may come with 
tall ,hypochris uniflora and such       
,buttercups as ,ranunculus bulbosus and 
,r4 acris1 but blue and mauve and lilac 
seem always to predominate2 for the     
,rampions 7,phyteuma betonicfolium and  
,p4 orbiculare7 and ,campanulas 7,c4    
rotundifolia and ,c4 rhomboidalis7 join 
forces with the ,meadow ,clary and the  
,wood ,crane's-bill and linger on until 
the ,martagon ,lily is gone out of      
flower and the field stands more than   
ready for the scythe4 ,indeed1 long     
after the scythe has done its worst1 and

 ,colchicum autumnale is a thing of     
yesterday1 and autumn's fires have      
paled1 and      8,the few late flowers  
have moisture in the eye10  those       
flowers1 or the major portion of those  
flowers1 will be blue and mauve and     
lilac--,campanula1 ,geranium1 and       
,salvia4  ,a field such as this is a    
garden in itself1 and a revelation1     
surely1 for those who know only our     
home-fields4 ,and it will be noted that 
in such a field there need be no        
destruction of effective ,english       
field-flowers4 ,indeed1 the addition of 
,alpine wealth to our home-fields ought 
not to oust any but rank invaders1 such 
as the ,plantain1 the ,nettle1 or the   
,bindweed1 or other 8volunteers10 as    
,californians picturesquely call them4  
,our ,buttercups1 ,daisies1 ,orchids1   
and ,red ,sorrel should be secure2      
,dandelions and ,ox-eye ,marguerites    
can1 and should1 continue their reign as
 of yore2 for all of these are          
constituents of meadows in the ,alps4   

,thus1 if we create meadows to companion
 our rockworks1 we should be growing    
many an ,alpine which at present we do  
not allow among our ,alpines2 and in    
this way1 if in no other1 our ,alpine   
gardens would be far more complete1 far 
more representative1 and1 therefore1 far
 more worthy the name4  ,no2 because a  
flower is already common in ,england is 
no necessary reason why it should be    
taboo in any ,alpine field we may create
 in ,england4 ,indeed1 such common      
things as the ,marsh ,marigold 7,caltha 
palustris71 the two ,buttercups         
7,ranunculus acris and ,r4 bulbosus7 and
 the ,bladder ,campion 7,silene         
,cucubalus7 are most precious4 ,who that
 has seen the ,marsh ,marigold          
pencilling with golden lines the course 
of some mountain rivulet through the    
spring fields1 and lying1 with ,primula 
farinosa1 a brilliant mass1 in some     
juicy hollow2 or the two ,buttercups1   
blending with acres of ,ranunculus      
aconitifolius1 and forming a filmy sea  

of yellow and white2 or slopes packed   
with the ,bladder ,campion and the tall 
,rampion 7,phyteuma betonicfolium71 a   
perfect picture of grey-white and       
blue1--who that has seen these common   
flowers thus growing but has not vowed  
rarity to be no essential passport to   
the ranks of beauty8 ,i remember        
once--it was at ,montroc1 near the ,col 
des ,montets--passing over a            
meadow-slope of ,bladder ,campion and   
,rampion1 with just a sprinkling of that
 other and closely allied ,campion1     
,silene nutans 7the ,nottingham         
,catchfly71 and the effect so fascinated
 me1 as to send up these ,campions      
considerably in my esteem1 as subjects  
with decorative possibilities of which  
,i had not dreamed4  ,objection may     
possibly be taken to the large area     
required for the creation of an ,alpine 
meadow in comparison with its short     
duration as 8a thing of beauty40 ,it    
will perhaps be objected that our field 
must be mown2 that the ripening growth  

cannot be allowed 8to lie in cold       
obstruction and to rot02 that1 from     
,july to the end of the year1 the field 
will be a stubbly place of emptiness1   
whereas our rockwork will bear a        
continual round of interest until the   
coming of the frost4 ,and this complaint
 would be reasonable if we were dealing 
with just an ,english meadow set with   
certain ,alpine plants to make it gayer 
than is its habit4 ,but we are not--not1
 that is to say1 if we are contemplating
 the meadow as a companioning feature of
 our rock-garden4 ,a typical ,alpine    
meadow is full of 8accident02 there is  
nothing of the billiard-table about its 
eventful surface4 ,palpably1 it must    
have been the scene of utmost violence  
before ,nature decked it out with       
verdure4 ,steep depressions2 wide       
gullies2 abrupt limits1 falling suddenly
 away in a grassless1 rocky bank to a   
rough path below1--such 8accidents0 as  
these break its even tenor4 ,rocks1 grey
 and lichen-flecked1 crop up from it    

here and there--rocks hurled in some    
past fury from the heights above or     
borne from afar upon the breast of some 
ancient glacier2 for an ,alpine field1  
more often than not1 is a delightful    
combination of rockwork and pasture4    
,hence there is accommodation for a much
 wider range of plant-life than in a    
meadow run upon ,english lines1 and the 
season of interest is1 therefore1 as    
long-lived as that of any part of our   
garden4 8,accident10 indeed1 is the     
constant characteristic of it1 and      
floral variety the natural corollary4   
,when the hay has been made upon the    
richer portions of it1 the poorer or    
more broken parts and the rocks continue
 to abound in blossom1 giving us such   
things as the ,thalictrums1 ,monkshoods1
 ,peas1 ,veronicas1 ,pinks1 ,saxifrages1
 ,sempervivums1 and ,sedums4            
,illustration3 ,,gentiana ,,campestris  
and ,,gentiana ,,bavarica4   ,when1     
therefore1 we choose the parcel of      
ground to be transformed into a ,swiss  

mountain meadow1 we should not be       
dismayed if its surface is already more 
than undulating2 we should not summon   
assistance to level it up and smooth it 
out4 ,we are not proposing to make a    
croquet-lawn1 but are supposed to be    
inspired by ,nature in one of her wild1 
8irresponsible0 moods4 ,violence1       
however1 should depend upon size4 ,if we
 are dealing with several acres1 we can 
afford to be grand with regard to       
8accident02 but if the land at our      
disposal is1 perhaps1 half an acre1     
irregularity should be to scale2 for to 
be artistic we should avoid             
extravagance4  ,rocks1 as has been said1
 are an almost essential feature of an  
,alpine field4 ,the ground should rise  
towards them and should be of a poorer  
nature than where the grass is to be    
really meadowy2 for upon the poorer     
ground we shall be dependent for many   
colonies of gay and interesting plants  
which would be out of place1 even they  
could exist1 among the thicker grasses4 

,here we may count upon brilliance long 
after the ,geranium and its             
field-consorts have been mown           
down--brilliance afforded by such       
subjects as ,ononis natrix1 ,linum      
tenuifolium1 ,l4 alpinum1 ,jasione      
montana1 ,campanula spicata1 ,c4        
barbata1 ,c4 persicifolia1 ,trifolium   
alpinum1 ,eryngium alpinum1 ,vicia      
onobrychioides1 ,veronica urticfolia1   
,lathyrus heterophyllus1 ,anthyllis     
vulneraria1 ,carduus defloratus1        
,verbascum phlomoides1 and ,onobrychis  
vicifolia1 the rosy ,sainfoin or        
8wholesome hay10 for which the ass is   
said to bray4  ,the rocks employed      
ought1 in greater part1 to be of a      
8generous0 nature1 not hard and         
unresponsive4 ,they should if possible  
be even soft 7as rocks go7 and somewhat 
liable to disintegration--rocks upon    
which1 with a little preliminary        
encouragement1 ,sedums1 ,dianthus1 and  
,sempervivums can take root4 ,they ought
 not to be built up to form what is     

generally recognised as a rockwork1 but 
should be large1 massive1 and sparsely  
set1 cropping up from the ground        
haphazard and as if their greater bulk  
were beneath the soil4 ,grass should be 
encouraged to grow about them1 even upon
 them in places2 and ,poa alpina1 forma 
vivipara is a suitable1 as well as a    
most interesting1 grass for this        
purpose4 ,the ,alpine ,clover1 too      
7,trefolium alpinum71 may well be       
encouraged to spread around the base of 
these rocks and over the ground that    
slopes up to them4 ,with its large1     
loose1 rosy flower-heads1 sometimes     
white or lilac1 it is an ever-welcome   
,june visitor1 especially where it      
luxuriates2 as1 for instance1 at ,le    
,planet1 below the ,french side of the  
,col de ,balme4  ,i have said that the  
rocks ought1 in greater part1 to be of a
 8generous0 nature2 and ,i have said    
this because a hard and unresponsive    
rock here and there would not be out of 
place4 ,although quantity equally with  

quality is the predominant note in      
,alpine floral circumstance1 it is not  
an invariable rule1 and something of    
barrenness only adds to the scene of    
plenty4 ,moreover1 a cold1 bare rock    
with just one cleft in it where some    
single tuft of ,dianthus1 or of         
,veronica saxatilis1 for instance1 can  
cling is often a very precious object   
amid a surrounding exuberance of        
blossom4 ,often in ,english rock-gardens
 there is too little unoccupied rock4   
,ubiquity of plant life in this respect 
is not so artistic as when there is a   
modicum of reticence2 nor is it so      
truthful4  ,another by no means         
inappropriate feature is that which can 
be lent by shrubs or bushes2 not as     
hedges1 for ,switzerland1 when compared 
with ,england1 may be said to be devoid 
of          8444 ,little lines     ,of  
sportive wood run wild40  characteristic
 commonplaces in ,england1 where1 it is 
said1 they cover one and a half million 
acres1 they are rare in ,switzerland2   

or1 at any rate1 as ,leslie ,stephen    
remarked1 8those detestable             
parallelograms1 which cut up ,english   
scenery with their hedgerows1 are       
sternly confined to the valley40 ,and in
 the valley they are comparatively      
scarce1 and lack the charm pertaining to
 the ,english hedgerow4  ,no2 if our    
field is to have an ,alpine allure1     
hedges must be tabu4 ,but a negligent   
grouping around the rocks or upon the   
outskirts of the field1 of such bushes  
as ,rhododendron ferrugineum1 ,rosa     
alpina1 ,berberis vulgaris1 ,rosa       
pomifera1 ,juniperus nana1 ,sambucus    
racemosa1 and the two ,honeysuckles1    
,lonicera alpigena and ,l4 nigra1 would 
not only enhance the effect and         
interest1 but would tally with ,nature  
as she generally rules in the ,alps4    
,nor would the ,bird ,cherry 7,prunus   
avium71 if kept in bush form1 be out of 
place4 ,this lovely spring-flowering    
tree1 treated as a hedgerow subject on  
the plateau at the back of ,lausanne1 is

 an arresting object in the fields      
around ,chamonix at the end of ,may4    
,and here1 with the shade and shelter of
 such bushes1 may come the nobly plumed 
,goat's ,beard 7,spira ,aruncus71 the   
mauve and the cream-plumed ,thalictrum  
aquilegifolium1 the deep-blue ,aconitum 
napellus1 the violet-blue ,a4           
paniculatum1 the creamy-white ,a4       
,lycoctonum1 the rosy ,adenostyles      
albifrons1 the ever-graceful ,solomon's 
,seal 7,polygonatum verticillatum71 the 
blue-mauve ,mulgedium alpinum1 the      
red-brown ,lilium ,martagon1 the        
brilliant orange ,l4 croceum1 the       
pale-yellow ,salvia glutinosa1 the      
golden ,lathyrus luteus1 the pink and   
feathery ,dianthus superbus1 the        
,fennel-like ,meum athamanticum1 the    
distinctive ,umbellifer1 ,laserpitium   
latifolium1 besides such ,orchids as    
,epipactis atrorubens1 ,e4 latifolia1   
,cephalanthera ensifolia1 ,c4 pallens1  
,c4 rubra1 and ,habenaria               
7,plantanthera7 chlorantha4  ,if we are 

to have some kind of boundary-mark to   
our field1 let it be by preference a    
low1 mortarless wall of fairly large    
rough stones or pieces of rock built up 
with earth--a sort of rockwork wall4    
,these walls may be met with almost     
anywhere in the ,swiss mountains1 and   
are frequently composed of fragments of 
rock which at one time and another have 
been strewn about the fields by         
rockfalls or avalanches4 ,they often    
become the home of brilliant masses of  
such plants as ,saponaria ocymoides1    
,silene rupestris1 ,gypsophila repens1  
,helianthemum vulgare1 ,arabis alpina1  
,calamintha alpina1 and ,cerastium      
alpinum1 thus adding considerably to the
 gaiety and charm of the fields--a      
gaiety and charm which in the case of   
these walls lasts well into the autumn4 
,some difficulty may be experienced over
 the grass which is to accompany the    
meadow-flowers4 ,indeed1 it is an       
objection usually raised whenever ,i    
have broached the subject of ,alpine    

fields to gardening enthusiasts2 they   
fear that ,english meadow-grass would   
overwhelm the stranger-flowers by       
leaving them no room to breathe4 ,but is
 not this obstacle one rather of hasty  
imagining than of reality8 ,we are not  
proposing to put ,viola alpina1         
,gentiana verna1 or the ,soldanella into
 the field4 ,moreover1 there are grasses
 and grasses2 and ,i believe a very     
suitable selection could be made from   
any of the leading seed-merchants4 ,i   
should suggest that the ground be sown  
with smaller1 daintier grasses1 and only
 after the flowering-plants have become 
more or less established2 and ,i imagine
 that if this were done--and a sharp eye
 kept for the ever-ready invasion by    
native weeds--the imported field-flowers
 would hold their own4  ,an interesting 
fact in connection with ,alpine         
fields--one that should not be copied in
 ,england--is the tendency of what is   
usually shade-loving vegetation to creep
 out into the sunlight4 ,in spite of the

 intensity and power of the sun's rays1 
even certain ferns1 such as ,aspidium   
,lonchitis1 the ,holly-fern1 and        
,polystichum ,filix-mas1 seem to think  
nothing of basking upon the hottest     
slopes4 ,true1 their roots are generally
 sheltered by rock and stone1 but the   
fronds look the sun squarely in the     
face2 and yet1 what can possibly be     
fresher and more engaging than1 for     
instance1 the masses of ,parsley-fern to
 be met with in the stony places of the 
granitic ,alps8 ,wood-,sorrel1 too1 will
 come out into the open2 so will the    
little ,alpine ,london ,pride           
7,saxifraga cuneifolia7 and the little  
,yellow ,violet2 so1 also1 will the ,may
 ,lily or ,false ,lily-of-the-,valley   
7,smilacina bifolia74 ,in ,england1     
,astrantia major1 when found1 is said to
 seek the partial shade of copse and    
spinny1 but here on these ,alpine fields
 it is in the full sunshine--and looking
 very much the better for such boldness4
 ,it is as though the higher plants     

climb1 the less they fear the light1    
extraordinarily searching though this   
latter be2 it is as though they revel in
 the purity1 and1 casting retirement to 
the winds1 take on a new and healthier  
joy in life4  ,illustration3 ,,astrantia
 ,,major1 ,a4 ,,minor1 and the ,apollo  
butterfly4   ,there is1 perhaps1 just   
one other matter calling for special    
attention3 the grouping of colours4     
,alpine fields own immense variety in   
this regard4 ,some will be almost of    
uniform tint1 while others are of a     
bewildering1 diverse blend4 ,one will be
 blue and white 7,campanula rhomboidalis
 and ,ox-eye ,daisy72 another will be   
blue and red 7,salvia pratensis and     
,lychnis diocia72 another1 yellow and   
pink 7the ,globe-,flower and the        
,bistort72 while another will be a      
close1 irregular mixture of some score  
or more of colours1 with no one in      
particular predominating4 ,although     
,nature in her wildness is almost       
invariably 8happy10 it is only natural  

that some of her results should be      
happier than others2 and it is well to  
take note of the best she can do4       
,personally1 ,i find her happiest when  
she keeps her palette simple1 painting  
broadly1 and not indulging in           
,segantini-like technique4 ,and surely  
her simpler floral harmonies are among  
the perpetual delights of the ,alps1 and
 incapable of being bettered by even the
 most fancifully fastidious of          
8post-impressionists08 ,what could be   
more charming than1 for instance1 the   
simple combination of pale yellow and   
paper-white1 or of rosy-pink and rich   
mauve when1 as is quite usual1          
,biscutella and ,cerastium1 or          
,saponaria ocymoides and ,calamintha    
alpina are luxuriating around and among 
the rocks2 or when blue ,myosotis and   
white ,paradise ,lily1 or               
canary-coloured ,crepis and sky-blue    
,veronica1 or white ,potentilla and     
rosy-mauve ,geranium1 or vivid orange   
,arnica and lilac ,orchids are blooming 

in important numbers side by side among 
the grasses8 ,i do not advocate         
formality--the formality depicted in    
,andrew ,marvell's lines3      8,see how
 the flowers1 as at parade1     ,under  
their colours stand display'd03  which  
suggests the careful horrors of         
bedding-out4 ,a certain negligence is   
imperative2 we may be studious as       
regards effect1 but we must not show it4
 ,the question of colour-grouping is    
certainly one worthy of careful         
consideration2 for if gardening is not  
exactly an art that 8doth mend ,nature10
 it is1 at all events1 a selective art1 
picking and choosing of ,nature's best  
and bringing this together within       
special confines1 there to show in a    
series of close-knit tableaux that which
 wild ,nature spreads out far and wide  
among much that1 sthetically1 is of     
secondary 8happiness40     ,l',,envoi   
8,but none has hope like thine6         
,thou through the fields and through the
 woods dost stray1     ,roaming the     

country-side1 a truant boy1     ,nursing
 thy project in unclouded joy1          
,and every doubt long blown by time     
away40                                  
,,matthew ,,arnold1 ,the                
,scholar-,gipsy4   ,pen- and brush-craft
 pale their ineffectual fires before the
 beauty of ,alpine grass-lands1 and     
flawful and halting has been the manner 
of presenting my subject2 but ,i hope a 
sufficient glimpse of its fascination   
and importance will have been caught to 
raise enthusiasm to the point of making 
amends for a neglectful past4 ,whatever 
may be the verdict upon the question of 
introducing ,swiss floral wealth to our 
meadows generally1 perhaps enough has   
been said to make it plain that very    
many of the mountain field-flowers cry  
aloud to be treated as field-flowers in 
every ,alpine garden where there is     
scope for1 and pretensions to1          
completeness4 ,and ,i believe that the  
cry will be answered4 ,i believe that   
the value of the fields1 in the economy 

of ,alpine plant-life1 has only to be   
placed earnestly before conscientious   
gardeners and lovers of flowers for it  
to meet with immediate and becoming     
diligence4 ,i believe it will be seen   
that a rockwork is not the first1 last1 
and only home we may make for ,alpines  
in ,england1 and that it is as unlovely 
as it is unjust to tar all of them with 
one and the same brush and think that1  
because they are called ,alpines1 they  
must necessarily be given a perch       
dominating the rest of the garden4 ,i   
therefore believe that one more of our  
cherished conventionalities will soon be
 relegated to the 8,valhalla of bad     
taste40  ,we 8are still looking through 
a kaleidoscope at ever-changing views10 
and 8the eternal verities0 have as yet  
by no means been sounded to their bases4
 ,if 8,badsworth0 can find sufficient   
sanction to talk like this of auction   
bridge1 with how much more reason may it
 not be said of gardening and the cult  
of ,nature8 ,it is doubtful if we have  

reached much that is final in anything2 
certainly not in gardening4             
,gardening--or flower-gardening1 since  
that is the department with which we are
 here dealing--flower-gardening is      
something more than the mere growing of 
blossoms to please1 something more than 
the mere forming of a living herbarium1 
something more than the mere creation or
 collecting of 8novelties0 for the sole 
sake of novelty2 there is something     
deeper and more difficult to talk about 
than that--something none the less real 
because largely indefinable4 ,as        
earnest1 thinking gardeners1 our views  
and sentiments are not limited to a mere
 toying with the soil and with          
attractive vegetation4 ,we are not      
children--though we ought to be1 and    
are4 ,i mean1 we do not garden--we do   
not build ,alpine rockworks and plant   
them with gay flowers quite so          
irresponsibly as children build         
mud-castles and stick them over with    
coloured oddments4 ,there is a          

significant profundity in the meanest of
 our efforts--even in the building of   
mud-castles2 and in the maturer effort  
of gardening it is only natural that    
this should be of richer meaning4       
,gardening is a saving grace in any     
nation4 ,it would be invidious to name  
examples2 enough to say that nations    
with marked propensities for gardening  
figure prominently in past and present  
history4 ,such nations1 though          
8insurgent sons10 are necessarily less  
so than they would otherwise be2 for    
they live nearer to the truth of things1
 nearer to ,nature4 ,gardening touches  
well-springs of being1 and helps        
materially towards the moral advancement
 of a race4 ,it is affected by the same 
fundamental 8psychic0 influence as is   
painting1 or1 indeed1 any other of our  
kindred enthusiasms4 ,in it we are      
striving1 not so much to express        
,nature1 as to express ourselves through
 ,nature2 not so much to transcribe     
,nature line for line1 as to            

translate--as creatures who consider    
ourselves so much apart from1 so much   
above1 ,nature--what we think we feel1  
perhaps see1 and almost certainly dream 
in her4 ,and far be it from me to aver  
that we are not striving even to        
supplant ,nature--seemingly a mad       
ambition1 for in the end1 do as we will1
 ,nature1 and nothing but ,nature1 has  
found expression4 ,yet it is not quite  
as mad an ambition as a first inspection
 would lead us to suppose4 ,indeed1 it  
is good1 if not actually great2 for it  
is the biggest of the many bunches of   
carrots dangling in front of the human  
animal's nose1 inducing him to keep     
8pegging away40  ,illustration3 ,the    
,,willow ,,gentian 7,g4 asclepiadea7 and
 the ,alpine ,cotton ,grass 7,eriophorum
 ,scheuchzeri74   ,independent and      
original as we may consider ourselves1  
we yet from time to time have to turn   
and take our cue from ,nature4 ,she1    
after all1 is the source at which we    
must refresh our jaded imaginations2 she

 is the storehouse from which we must   
draw new blood1 new energy1 new ideas2  
she instigates our ideals and holds the 
cause and means for inspiration2 without
 her promptings1 in fact1 we should go  
bankrupt4 ,in the ,buddhist             
8,sankhya-,karika0 we read how1 8like a 
danseuse who retires from the dance     
after she has shown herself to the      
crowd1 ,nature retires after she has    
shown herself in all her splendour to   
the soul0--after she has shown herself  
to the soul4 ,the aim of the best art is
 not slavishly to copy ,nature1 but to  
catch and translate the dreams she      
suggests4      8,stoop to earth's       
service1 and behold     ,all heaven     
shall blossom into gold40  ,we may paint
 as much as we like 8from imagination0  
or 8inner consciousness10 but if ,nature
 were not all the time posing at our    
elbow1 and if we did not from time to   
time cast covert glances at her as our  
model1 our picture would never be       
8inspired02 it would either harp        

tediously upon ancient themes and       
methods1 or else 8advance0 into sheer   
chaotic incoherence4  ,and so it is that
 we have now come1 ,i think1 to a time  
in the history and use of ,alpine       
rockworks when we must turn again to    
,nature for fresh inspiration1 for      
improved ideals4 ,the time is passing   
when ,alpine conditions were held to be 
sufficiently represented by the         
rock-fortresses of the ,alps1      8,and
 all the garrisons were flowers40  ,of  
course1 these garrisons are1 and must   
always remain1 the most prominent and   
unique of vegetation's ,alpine marvels1 
but they cannot properly be thought to  
speak for all2 they are1 as it were1 the
 militant claireurs set upon the craggy 
heights and watching over the peaceful  
hosts of their fellows upon the fields4 
,as is the way in all our activities1 we
 hug a truth a long time before becoming
 aware that it is not the whole truth4  
,perception has small beginnings1       
advance is slow1 and exaggeration1      

meantime1 is the very breath of         
progress4 ,we ill-use a truth by        
over-kindness2 our ecstasy forces it to 
lie4 ,we dwell extravagantly upon it    
until it becomes partially false2 then  
we move on4 ,and this1 ,i find1 is what 
has happened1 and is happening1 in the  
case of ,alpine rockworks4 ,we have for 
long dwelt alone with them as with the  
last word upon the housing of ,alpine   
plants2 we have been so absorbed in them
 as the whole truth1 that we have seen  
no need1 even no possibility1 for       
further helpful inquiry of ,nature4 ,but
 the time has now arrived when our truth
 is revealing itself as only a          
half-truth1 and1 turning to glance again
 at our model for a fresh advance in    
inspiration1 we notice in her a feature 
which had previously escaped us--the    
fields4         99       99       99    
99       99  8,many people enter ,god's 
,temple through the doorway of ,beauty02
 and upon this count1 also1 the fields  
of the ,alps are of obvious import4 ,i  

venture to think that an ,alpine field1 
with all its concomitant 8accident0 and 
consequent variety1 will have more to   
say to a larger number of men and women 
than will a rockwork alone2 ,i venture  
to think that a person who would not    
stop longer than to patronise a         
rockwork1 would stand arrested and      
absorbed before the grass-lands and     
their varied features4 ,to the mass of  
mortals who are not bespoken specialists
 in higher ,alpines1 the meadows have no
 superiors in breadth1 directness1 and  
simplicity of appeal4 ,they are places  
where the 8man-in-the-street0 is at once
 at home4 ,they require no special      
enthusiasm to make them acceptable4     
,their beauty is as apparent to the     
8vulgar0 as it is to the elect2 their   
charm is interesting to all4  ,and this 
interest means more than mere pleasure1 
more than a superficial tickling of the 
senses4 ,it entails a mint of meaning   
for the soul4 ,yes1 the soul4 ,no       
gardener1 no ,nature-lover1 need be shy 

of admitting he has a soul2 for it is   
precisely this which makes              
,nature-lovers of us all1 precisely this
 which plays so big a part in our       
admiration of the fields4 8,breathes    
there a man with soul so dead0 who will 
not linger lovingly over mountain       
meadows tossed or rolling like a        
multi-coloured sea1 with sunlight       
playing amid the blues1 mauves1 reds1   
and yellows1 breaking these into endless
 intermediary tints2 and with           
butterflies seemingly in such           
light-hearted flight1 skipping and      
flitting blithely1 airily1 for all the  
world like flowers come suddenly to     
sentient life8 ,breathes there a man who
 will not find in these meadows and     
their teeming gaiety 8a vitalising      
passion1 calling to life the shrouded   
thoughts and unsuspected forces of the  
heart08  ,from ,crocus to 8,crocus02    
from the first pale1 dainty flush of    
spring to the last full flush of autumn2
 from the shy and hesitating youth of   

the year to the time when all at length 
8is rounded with a sleep10 these meadows
 are an intimate joy and refreshment4   
,nature herself sets so much store by   
them that when they become1 as they must
 become1 recognised components of our   
,alpine gardens1 it shall be said she   
8,now was almost won     ,to think her  
part was done1     ,and that her reign  
had here its last fulfilling4     ,she  
knew such harmony alone     ,could hold 
all ,heaven and ,earth in happier       
unison40         8,farewell6 farewell to
 the field1     ,farewell to the sunny  
lawn60                                  
,,schiller1 ,william ,tell4     ,,index 
,a    ,achillea nana1 #hj    ,aconitum  
,lycoctonum1 #agc      0  napellus1     
#aba1 #agc      0  paniculatum1 #agc    
,adenostyles albifrons1 #abb1 #agc      
,adonis aestivalis1 #fi    ,ajuga       
pyramidalis1 #ca1 #gg1 #hc              
,alchemilla1 #gd      0  alpina1 #hc    
0  vulgaris1 #hc    ,alpine ,auricula1  
#gf      0  ,brier1 #he1 #aje      0    

,bugle1 #hc      0  ,clover1 #ed1 #agj1 
#aga      0  ,crocus1 #dd      0        
,crowfoot1 #ca1 #dd      0  ,eglantine1 
#fg1 #he1 #aje1 #aba      0  ,flax1 #hd 
0  ,forget-me-not1 #hd      0           
,knotweed1 #he      0  ,lettuce1 #abb   
0  ,london ,pride1 #agf      0          
,plantain1 #gf      0  ,polygala1 #ca   
,anemone alpina1 #ag1 #cb      0        
narcissiflora1 #fc1 #hc      0          
sulphurea1 #hc1 #abh    ,antennaria     
dioica1 #hd    ,anthericum ,liliago1    
#hd1 #afd      0  ramosum1 #hd          
,anthyllis vulneraria1 #gg1 #hd1 #aaf1  
#agj    ,antirrhinum1 #gh    ,arabis    
alpina1 #agd    ,arnica1 #gb1 #aaf1     
#abi1 #agg    ,artemisia1 #gg           
,asparagus1 #acg    ,aspidium           
,lonchitis1 #age    ,aster alpinus1 #hi1
 #abd    ,astrantia major1 #abj1 #abi1  
#aed1 #afa1 #agf      0   minor1 #abj   
,atriplex deltoidea1 #ha    ,autumn     
,crocus1 #acj1 #acd-adf    ,azalea1 #ajc
     ,b    ,bartsia alpina1 #cj1 #eg1   
#aag    ,bastard ,toadflax1 #aaf        

,bearded ,campanula1 #ed      0         
,harebell1 #ha    ,bell-,gentian1 #eg1  
#gj1 #aad    ,berberis1 #add1 #agb      
,bilberry1 #abi1 #add    ,bindweed1     
#aeg1 #aff    ,bird ,cherry1 #agc       
,bird's-eye ,primula1 #df1 #ace         
,bird's-foot ,trefoil1 #hd              
,biscutella lvigata1 #ca1 #eg1 #hd1     
#aae1 #afd1 #agg    ,bistort1 #fc1 #gd1 
#he1 #aae1 #abj1 #afd1 #agf    ,bladder 
,campion1 #he1 #afe1 #afg    ,bluebell1 
#aeb    ,blue ,bottle1 #gd1 #hd         
,box-leaved ,polygala1 #bd              
,bramo-,vaco1 #aci    ,brown ,gentian1  
#abj    ,bugle1 #ca1 #gg    ,bulbocodium
 vernum1 #adf1 #afc    ,butcher's       
,broom1 #acg    ,buttercup1 #aae1 #abj1 
#adi1 #aeb1 #afe1 #aff    ,butterfly    
,orchis1 #gb1 #he1 #ajd     ,c          
,calamintha alpina1 #ca1 #aaf1 #agd1    
#agg    ,caltha palustris1 #cj1 #aff    
,campanula barbata1 #gb1 #ha1 #aae1 #agj
      0  persicifolia1 #abb1 #agj      0
  boidalis1 #hd1 #aae1 #aeh1 #afj1 #afe1
 #agf      0  rotundifolia1 #hd1 #afe   

0  ,scheuchzeri1 #aae1 #abg      0      
spicata1 #aba1 #agj      0  thyrsoides1 
#aba    ,campion1 #hd1 #he    ,cardamine
 resedifolia1 #hj    ,carduus           
defloratus1 #agj    ,carlina acaulis1   
#abb      0  vulgaris1 #abb             
,carthusian ,pink1 #hd    ,catchfly1 #hd
    ,cat's-ear1 #hd    ,centaurea       
montana1 #hd1 #afd    ,centaurea nigra1 
#afe      0  scabiosa1 #abj      0      
uniflora1 #abj1 #afe    ,cephalanthera  
ensifolia1 #he1 #agc      0  pallens1   
#agc      0  rubra1 #he1 #agc           
,cerastium arvense1 #hd    ,char de     
,venus1 #aba    ,cherry-tree1 #ag       
,chrysanthemum leucanthemum1 #afe       
,cinquefoil1 #gg1 #he    ,clary1 #he1   
#aed    ,clover1 #gb    ,cloglossum     
viridis1 #he    ,colchicum alpinum1     
#adj-adf      0  autumnalis1 #acj1      
#acd-adc1 #afj1 #afe    ,colchique1 #aci
    ,coltsfoot1 #de    ,columbine1 #afd 
,corn1 #aah    ,cornflower1 #fi1 #ii    
,coronilla varia1 #abb    ,cowslip1 #bc1
 #adi1 #afd    ,crepis aurea1 #aae      

,crocus1 #bc1 #bd1 #ga      0           
nudiflorus1 #acg      0  sativus1 #aci  
0  vernus1 #afc    ,cudweed1 #hd        
,currant1 #ag     ,d    ,daffodil1 #ag1 
#cb1 #aeb1 #afc    ,daisy1 #adi1 #aff   
,dandelion1 #ai1 #aej1 #aff    ,daphne1 
#aji    ,dendrobium1 #ge    ,dianthus   
,carthusianorum1 #hd1 #abb      0       
neglectus1 #hj    ,dianthus superbus1   
#aba1 #agc      0  sylvestris1 #aba1    
#abb    ,digitalis ambigua1 #aba      0 
lutea1 #abb    ,dog ,rose1 #ajh1 #abi   
,dyer's ,weed1 #he     ,e    ,echium    
vulgare1 #hd    ,edelweiss1 #ce-ci1 #abd
    ,eglantine1 #ag1 #add    ,epilobium1
 #hj    ,epipactis atrorubens1 #agc     
0  latifolia1 #agc    ,eritrichium      
nanum1 #db    ,eryngium alpinum1 #agj   
,euphrasia alpina1 #hd      0  minima1  
#hd      0  officinalis1 #gb1 #gc1 #hd  
,everlasting ,pea1 #fg1 #afi            
,exobasidium rhododendri1 #ajh          
,eyebright1 #gc1 #hd     ,f    ,fair    
,maid of ,france1 #he1 #aae    ,false   
,lily-of-the-,valley1 #agf    ,felwort1 

#da    ,field ,mouse-ear1 #hd    ,field 
,gentian1 #abj      0  ,poppy1 #fh1 #ii 
,flax1 #abb    ,foxglove1 #aeb          
,french ,willow1 #hj    ,frog ,orchis1  
#he     ,g    ,gagea1 #afc    ,garlic1  
#acg    ,gentiana amarella1 #da         
,gentiana asclepiadea1 #ij      0       
brachyphylla1 #ada      0  campestris1  
#aae1 #abj      0  excisa1 #bd1 #hi1    
#aeg      0  nivalis1 #aag1 #aeg      0 
punctata1 #abj      0  purpurea1 #abj   
0  verna1 #bd1 #cj1 #ce-dg1 #eg1 #ada1  
#aeg1 #age    ,geranium1 sylvaticum1    
#hd1 #aae1 #aed1 #afj1 #afd1 #agg       
,geum montanum1 #bd1 #ca      0  rivale1
 #hd    ,globe-,flower1 #bc1 #ef1 #he1  
#afd1 #agf    ,globularia cordifolia1   
#hd    ,goat's ,beard1 #agc    ,golden  
,thistle1 #abb    ,grass-of-,parnassus1 
#abg    ,greater ,astrantia1 #hb        
,grimm the ,collier1 #abj    ,groundsel1
 #hj    ,gymnadenia albida1 #ajd1 #aaf  
0  conopsea1 #he1 #afd      0           
odoratissima1 #he    ,gypsophila repens1
 #agd     ,h    ,habenaria bifolia1 #he 

0  chlorantha1 #agc      0  viridis1 #he
    ,hard-heads1 #abj1 #afe             
,hawkweed1 #hb1 #abj    ,hawthorn1 #aeb 
,heather1 #ajb1 #abh1 #abi              
,helianthemum alpestre1 #aaf      0     
vulgare1 #agd    ,helleborine1 #he      
,hepatica1 #bc    ,herb ,paris1 #acg    
,herbst-,zeitlose1 #adj    ,hieracium   
alpinum1 #aae      0  aurantiacum1 #abj 
,hippocrepis comosa1 #hd    ,holly-fern1
 #age    ,honeysuckle1 #aji1 #aba1 #agc 
,horseshoe ,vetch1 #hd    ,hypochris    
maculata1 #aae      0  uniflora1 #aae1  
#afe    ,hyssop1 #abb     ,j    ,jacob's
 ,ladder1 #abh1 #aed    ,jasione        
montana1 #abb1 #agj    ,juniperus nana1 
#agb    ,jupiter's ,distaff1 #aba     ,k
    ,kidney ,vetch1 #gg1 #hd    ,king of
 the ,alps1 #db    ,knapweed1 #hd       
,knee ,holly1 #acg    ,knobweed1 #abj   
,knotweed1 #he     ,l    ,laburnum1 #ag 
,ladies' ,fingers1 #hd    ,lady's       
,mantle1 #hc      0  ,smock1 #hj        
,laitue des ,alpes1 #abb    ,larkspur1  
#fi    ,laserpitium latifolium1 #agc    

,lathyrus heterophyllus1 #hd1 #agj      
0  luteus1 #agc      0  sylvestris1 #hd 
,le ,bas du ,bon ,dieu1 #da             
,leontopodium alpinum1 #ce-ci           
,leopard's ,bane1 #abb    ,lesser       
,foxglove1 #abb    ,lilium croceum1 #ag1
 #agc      0  ,martagon1 #agc           
,lily-of-the-,valley1 #acg    ,linaria  
alpina1 #gg    ,linum alpinum1 #hd1     
#afd1 #agj      0  tenuifolium1 #abb1   
#agj    ,llia1 #ge    ,lonicera         
alpigena1 #agc      0  nigra1 #agc      
,lotus corniculatus1 #hd    ,lousewort1 
#he    ,lychnis dioica1 #hd1 #afa1 #afd1
 #agf      0  ,flos-cuculi1 #hd1 #afd   
0  viscaria1 #hd1 #afa     ,m           
,marguerite1 #ge    ,marsh-,marigold1   
#cj1 #df1 #eg1 #ga1 #aff1 #afg          
,martagon ,lily1 #aaf1 #abj1 #afe1 #agc 
,masterwort1 #abj1 #aed    ,may ,lily1  
#agf    ,meadow ,clary1 #he1 #aed1 #afe 
0  ,rue1 #aba      0  ,saffron1 #aci    
0  ,sage1 #he1 #aed    ,mealy ,primrose1
 #df1 #ef1 #ga1 #ace    ,mespilus       
oxyacantha1 #gi    ,meum athamanticum1  

#agc    ,micheli's ,daisy1 #cj1 #eg1 #gb
    ,milkwort1 #he    ,monkshood1 #aba1 
#afi    ,mountain ,cornflower1 #hd      
0  ,everlasting ,pea1 #hd      0  ,geum1
 #ga    ,mulgedium alpinum1 #abb1 #agc  
,mullein1 #abb    ,muscari comosum1 #hd1
 #afd    ,myosotis1 #bd1 #agg      0    
alpestris1 #hd1 #afd      0  palustris1 
#aaf     ,n    ,naked ,boy1 #aci      0 
,lucy1 #aci    ,narcissus poeticus1 #ag1
 #cb1 #aeh1 #afd      0                 
,pseudo-narcissus1 #afc    ,nettle1 #aff
    ,nigritella nigra1 #he              
,nottingham ,catchfly1 #afg     ,o      
,oak-apple1 #ajh    il-de-chat1 #da     
,onion1 #acg    ,onobrychis vicifolia1  
#hd1 #agj    ,ononis1 #ic      0        
natrix1 #abb1 #agj      0  rotundifolia1
 #abb    ,orache1 #ha    ,orchids1 #bc1 
#gb1 #he1 #aaf1 #abj1 #adi1 #aeh1 #aff1 
#agg    ,orchis conopsea1 #afd      0   
latifolia1 #he      0  maculata1 #he1   
#afd      0  mascula1 #afd      0       
,morio1 #afd      0  ustulata1 #he      
,ornithogalum nutans1 #afd      0       

pyrenaicum1 #acg      0  umbellatum1    
#ach1 #afc    ,orobus luteus1 #aba      
,ox-eye ,marguerite1 #aaf1 #afe1 #aff1  
#agf    ,oxlip1 #afd     ,p    ,pansy1  
#fi    ,paradise ,lily1 #fc1 #gb1 #he1  
#aeh1 #afd1 #agg    ,paradisia          
,liliastrum1 #he1 #aeh1 #afd            
,parsley-fern1 #age    ,parsnip1 #aeb   
,pedicularis tuberosa1 #ca1 #he         
,pheasant-eye ,narcissus1 #cb1 #afd     
,phyteutma betonicifolium1 #ed1 #he1    
#aae1 #aeh1 #afe1 #afg      0           
hemisphricum1 #aaf      0  ,micheli1    
#aaf      0  orbiculare1 #he1 #aae1 #afe
      0  spicata1 #aed    ,pimpinella   
magna rosea1 #he    ,pinguicula1 #cj    
,pink1 #afi    ,pinkwort1 #hj           
,plantago alpina1 #ed    ,plantain1     
#aeg1 #aff    ,plantanthera bifolia1 #he
      0  chlorantha1 #agc    ,poa       
alpina1 #aga    ,polemonium cruleum1    
#abg1 #aed1 #afe    ,polygala alpestris1
 #he      0  vulgaris1 #he              
,polygonatum verticillatum1 #agc        
,polygonum ,bistorta1 #he1 #afd         

,polystichum ,filix-mas1 #age    ,poppy1
 #fh1 #ii    ,potentilla rupestris1 #ca1
 #gg1 #he1 #aae1 #afd1 #agg             
,primrose1 #bc1 #cg1 #df1 #ic1 #aeb     
,primula farinosa1 #cj1 #fb1 #afg       
,prunus avium1 #agc     ,q    ,queen of 
the ,fields1 #aba     ,r    ,radish1    
#aah    ,ragged ,robin1 #hd1 #afd       
,rampion1 #ed1 #he1 #aae1 #abj1 #aed1   
#afe1 #afg    ,ranunculus aconitifolius1
 #he1 #aae1 #afd1 #afg      0  acris1   
#afe1 #aff      0  bulbosus1 #afe1 #aff 
,raspberry1 #ag    ,red ,catchfly1 #hd1 
#afd    ,reseda luteola1 #he            
,rest-,harrow1 #ic    ,rhinanthus       
angustifolius1 #he    ,rhododendron     
ferrugineum1 #da1 #hi1 #ajb-aac1 #aag1  
#abi1 #add1 #agb      0  hirsutum1      
#ajb-aac      0  ponticum1 #ajb         
,robin's ,pincushion1 #ajh    ,rosa     
alpina1 #he1 #aje1 #agb      0          
pomifera1 #agb    ,rosage1 #ajf    ,rose
 des ,alpes1 #ajf    ,rue des ,alpes1   
#ajf     ,s    ,saffron1 #aci    ,safra 
ds prats1 #aci    ,sage1 #gg1 #he       

,sainfoin1 #hd1 #agj    ,st4 ,bruno's   
,lily1 #he1 #aad    ,salvia glutinosa1  
#aba1 #agc      0  pratensis1 #fi1 #gd1 
#gg1 #he1 #aae1 #aed1 #aeh1 #afj1 #afd1 
#agf    ,sambucus racemosa1 #agb        
,saponaria ocymoides1 #ca1 #gg1 #aaf1   
#agd    ,saxifraga cuneifolia1 #agf     
,saxifrage1 #afi    ,scabiosa lucida1   
#he1 #aae    ,scilla1 #bc      0        
bifolia1 #afc    ,sedum1 #gg1 #abi1     
#afi1 #agj    ,sempervivum1 #afi1 #agj  
,senecio ,doronicum1 #hj1 #abb          
,sibbaldia procumbens1 #ed    ,silene   
,cucubalus1 #afe1 #afg      0  inflata1 
#he      0  nutans1 #afg      0         
rupestris1 #aaf1 #agd    ,smilacina     
bifolia1 #agf    ,snake-root1 #he       
,snakeweed1 #afd    ,snapdragon1 #gh    
,soapwort1 #gg    ,soldanella1 #bc1 #bd1
 #ga1 #hi1 #age    ,solomon's ,seal1    
#agc    ,sorrel1 #aea1 #aff             
,speedwell1 #i1 #gc    ,spira ,aruncua1 
#aba1 #agc    ,star of ,bethlehem1 #acg1
 #afc    ,strawberry1 #ag    ,stonecrop1
 #gg    ,sulphur ,anemone1 #ca1 #cd1    

#df1 #ec1 #ed    ,sylvan ,geranium1 #fc 
,t    ,thalictrum aquilegifolium1 #aba1 
#afi1 #agc    ,thesium alpinum1 #gb1    
#gd1 #aaf    ,thyme1 #aah    ,toadflax1 
#gg    ,trefoil ,valerian1 #he          
,trifolium alpinum1 #ed1 #agj1 #aga     
,trollius europus1 #he1 #afd            
,tue-chien1 #aci    ,turk's-cap ,lily1  
#aba     ,u    ,umbellifer1 #aaf1 #afe  
,umbilicaria virginis1 #df     ,v       
,vache1 #aci    ,valeriana montana1 #abb
      0  tripteris1 #he    ,vanilla     
,orchis1 #he    ,veilleuse1 #aci        
,veillotte1 #aci    ,veratrum album1    
#aaf1 #aeh    ,verbascum phlomoides1    
#abb1 #agj    ,vernal ,gentian1 #ce-dg1 
#eh1 #gb1 #ajd1 #abg    ,veronica       
,chamdrys1 #gc      0  saxatilis1 #aaf1 
#aga      0  spicata1 #aeh      0       
urticfolia1 #agj    ,vicia              
onobrychioides1 #aba1 #agj    ,viola    
alpina1 #age      0  calcarata1 #cb1    
#da1 #ec1 #hi1 #aeg      0  tricolor1   
#fi    ,violet1 #bc1 #afd    ,violon1   
#aci    ,viper's ,bugloss1 #hd     ,w   

,water ,avens1 #hd    ,weld1 #he        
,willow ,gentian1 #ij      0   ,herb1   
#abi    ,wood ,anemone1 #bc      0      
,campion1 #hd      0 ,crane's-bill1 #hd1
 #aed1 #afe      0 ,everlasting ,pea1   
#hd      0 ,sorrel1 #age    ,wormwood1  
#gg     ,y    ,yarrow1 #hj    ,yellow   
,eyebright1 #hd      0  ,foxglove1 #aba 
0  ,gentian1 #aaf      0  ,lousewort1   
#he      0  ,rattle1 #he1 #aaf      0   
,violet1 #de1 #agf     ,,printed ,,by   
,,hazell1 ,,watson ,,and ,,viney1 ,,ld41
  ,,london ,,and ,,aylesbury4           
,transcriber's ,note3                   
,the original spelling1 hyphenation1 and
 punctuation have been         retained1
 with the exception of apparent         
typographical errors         which have 
been corrected without note4            
,word combinations that appeared with   
and without hyphens were         changed
 to the predominant form if it could be 
determined4                             
,ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines 
were retained4                          

,italicized words are surrounded by     
underline characters1 like        this4 
,mid-paragraph illustrations have been  
moved between paragraphs        and some
 illustrations have been moved closer to
 the text that        references them4  
,the ,list of ,illustrations paginations
 were           changed accordingly4    
,other corrections3                     
,page #af3 ,ansel changed to ,ancel     
7#8the ,pas d',encel407                 
,page #abi3 prom e changed to promise   
78showing promise of a            fiery 
autumn407