One of the prettiest weeds that we have in our modern gardens, and which alternates between being our greatest joy and our greatest torment, is the Welsh Poppy. It succeeds so well in this dry soil that it sows itself everywhere; but when it stands up, with its profusion of yellow flowers well above its bed of bright green leaves, in some fortunate situation where it can not only be spared, but encouraged and admired, it is a real pleasure. It is not a Poppy at all, but a Meconopsis. It is quite easy to distinguish between the two, once having grasped the fact that the seed-vessels of the entire Poppy tribe are flat on the top, whereas the seed-vessels of the Meconopsis are pointed. There are several varieties of Meconopsis, all very desirable, and to be found, as usual, well described in the 'English Flower Garden.'

Their cultivation is a little more difficult than that of the ordinary annual and biennial, so one hardly ever sees them anywhere, but they are well worth the little extra trouble. Among the many small plants of easy cultivation and persistent flowering, Astrantias are very useful, especially in light soils, where things flower and are over so quickly. There are several shades; I have a pink and a green. They have a most refined beauty of their own, and last well in water. They are best grown from seed, and are well worth every care. Any soil will suit them, and they will grow in half-shade or full sun.

Some dry summers Green Peas do very badly with us; they dry up so quickly. We all know the hesitating remark to the cook: 'The Peas were not so good last night.' 'No, m'm, they are getting old.' When they do get old, the following is an original French receipt for stewed Peas, which is very good indeed:-Put the Peas into a saucepan with a good-sized Cabbage Lettuce cut up, a white Onion, a sprig of Parsley, four ounces of butter kneaded with flour; put the butter in small lumps on the Peas, also a very little salt and a piece of white sugar. Cover the saucepan, and let it simmer slowly for about three-quarters of an hour.

Currants ripen very early with us. It is a good plan, in order to keep them for eating when other fruit is not so plentiful, to tie the whole bush up in coarse muslin just as the Currants are getting ripe. This protects them from birds and from insects, and they hang well on into September, and are perfectly good. Black Currants will not stand the same treatment.

The following is a good receipt for Bed Currant jelly, one of the preserves best worth making at home:-Gather the Currants on a dry day. Strip them off their stalks, and squeeze the juice through a cloth. Leave the juice to stand in the cellar for twenty-four hours; then pour it into another cloth, carefully leaving the thick sediment behind. For each pound of juice allow one pound of powdered white sugar (not bought ready pounded, but done at home). Put the juice on the fire in the preserving-pan, and keep stirring it from the first with a silver spoon, adding the sugar, which should be standing close by, in spoonfuls. When the sugar is all added and dissolved, it will be necessary to take off the rising scum with a flat sieve-spoon, very well scalded and cleaned previously; and by placing a little jelly on a saucer it will be seen by the consistency when it has jellied. As soon as there is a sign of this take the pan off the fire, let it stand five or ten minutes, and fill the jelly glasses, which should previously have been well sulphured, and be standing ready face downwards. Next day they should be covered with rounds of paper soaked in brandy. Half a teaspoonful of brandy should be sprinkled over each glass, and then they should be tied or gummed up in the usual way.