ffy nitrate from a far Pacific shore,
From a dreary West Coast harbour that I'll surely fetch no more;
Only bags of stuffy nitrate, with its faint familiar smell
Bringing back the ships and shipmates that I used to know so well;
Half a lifetime lies between us and a thousand leagues of sea,
But it called the days departed and my boyhood back to me.

C.F.S.

* * * * *

ROSES ALL THE WAY.

Fired by an Irish rose-grower's pictures of some of his beautiful new
seedlings we are tempted to describe one or two of our own favourite
flowers in language similar to his own. This is an example of the way he
does it:--

"LADY MAUREEN STEWART (_Hybrid Tea_).--A gloriously-finished globular
slightly imbricated cupped bloom with velvety black scarlet cerise
shell-shaped petals, whose reflex is solid pure orangey maroon without
veining. An excellent bloom, ideal shape, brilliant and non-fading
colour with heavy musk rose odour. Erect growth and flower-stalk.
Foliage wax and leathery and not too large. A very floriferous and
beautiful rose. 21s. each."

Why not also these?--

DAVID (_Hybrid Tory-Lib._).--A gloriously-finished true-blue-slightly-
imbricated-with-red-flag coalition rose whose deep globular head with
ornate decorative calyx retains its perfect exhibition-cross-question-
hostile-amendment symmetry of form without blueing or burning in the
hottest Westminster sun. Its smiling peach and cerise endearments
terminating in black scarlet shell-shaped waxy Berlin ultimata are carried
on an admirably rigid peduncle. Equally vigorous in all parts of Europe.
Superbly rampant. Not on sale.

AUSTEN (_Tea and most other things_).--This bottomless-cupped bank-paper-
white-edged-and-rimmed-with-tape-pink-margin bloom, the reflex of whose
never-fading demand notes is velvety black thunder-cloud with lightning-
flash six-months-in-the-second-division veinations, has never been known to
be too full. It is supported by a landlordly stalk of the utmost excess-
profits-war-profits-minor-profits rigidity. A decorative, acquisitive and
especially captivating rose, and already something more than a popular
favourite. 18s. in L1.

SIR THOMAS (_Ceylon and India Tea_).--This true sport from the British
bull-dog rose has a slightly globular double-hemisphere-popular greatly-
desiring-and-deserving-to-be-cupped bloom whose pearly preserved cream
flesh is delicately flushe