The Flower Garden

by Ida D. Bennett

Time For Germination of Seeds

From Three to Five Days

Ageratum,

Ammobium,

Aster,

Celosia,

Centaurea,

Chrysanthemums,

Cypress Vine,

Gilla,

Hollyhock,

Lavatera,

Layia Elegans,

Leptosyne Maritima,

Marigold,

Mimulus,

Mina lobata,

Salvia,

Sedum,

Silene Shasta,

Spherogyne,

Stevia,

Stock—ten week,

Sweet William,

Tradescantia,

Trifolium,

Tunica,

Verbascum,

Veronica,

Virginian Stock,

Viscaria,

Vittadinia,

Whitlavia,

Zinnia.

In Five to Seven Days.

Acacia,

Amaranthus,

Arabis Alpina,

Beta,

Brompton Stock,

Bromus,

Browallia,

Candytuft,

Cannabis,

Carnations,

Centaurea,

Chelone,

Chrysanthemum Indicum,

Cineraria,

Clitoria,

Coleus,

Coreopsis Lanceolata,

Crucianella,

Cuphea,

Cynoglossum,

Dahlia,

Daisy,

Eschscholtzia,

Eupatorium,

Gaillardia,

Geranium,

Gypsophila,

Hablitzia,

Helenium,

Helianthus,

Helichrysum,

Hibiscus,

Iberis Gibraltarica,

Linaria Reticulata,

Lobelia,

Lupinus,

Lychnis,

Malva Moschata,

Mathiola,

Mesembryanthemum,

Mignonette,

Morning Glory,

Nicotiana,

Picotee,

Pink,

Salpiglossis,

In Eight to Ten Days

Abutilon,

Achimenes,

Agrostemma,

Antirrhinum,

Armeria,

Balsams,

Begonia,

Calceolaria,

Campanula, Annual,

Canna,

Capsicum,

Commelina Cœlestis,

Deutzia,

Digitalis,

Dracocephalum,

Erianthus,

Gaura,

Gloxinia,

Gnaphalium,

Hibiscus Syriacus,

Humulus Japonica,

Kaulfussia,

Lychnis,

Morina,

Pansy,

Pansy, Viola,

Papaver,

Pentstemon,

Petunia,

Phacelia,

Phlox Drummondi,

Poinsettia,

Potentilla,

Pyrethrum,

Rudbeckia,

Thunbergia,

Tropæolum,

Valeriana,

Verbena,

Zea.

In Ten to Twelve Days

Achillea,

Alonsoa,

Alyssum Saxatile,

Anchusa,

Aquilegia,

Argemone,

Artemisia,

Asphodelus,

Aubrietia,

Bidens,

Calandrinia,

Calonyction,

Campanula,

Feverfew,

Galtonia,

Geum,

Gypsophila,

Helianthemum,

Linaria,

Ipomopsis,

Scutellaria,

Silphium,

Spiræa.

In Twelve to Fifteen Days

Anemone Sylvestris,

Antigonon,

Asters, Per.,

Callirhoe,

Campanula Tenorei,

Datura,

Didiscus,

Gazanopsis,

Gourds,

Hunnemannia,

Lantana,

Mandevillea,

Maurandya,

Myosotis,

Nicotiana,

Nierembergia,

Peas,

Perilla,

Petunia, Double,

Platycodon,

Polemonium,

Ranunculus,

Ricinus,

Thalictrum,

Torenia,

Verbena Venosa.

In Fifteen to Twenty Days

Acanthus,

Agapanthus,

Anemone,

Antigonon,

Armeria Maritima,

Calla,

Cobæa,

Cuphea,

Dictamnus,

Geranium Sanguineum,

Heliotrope,

Hemerocallis,

Impatiens Sultana,

Iris,

Liatris Spicata,

Primula Sinensis,

Rivina Humilis,

Smilax, Boston,

Solanum Robustum.

In Twenty to Thirty-five Days

Adlumia,

Baptisia Australis,

Berberis Vulgaris,

Campanula Fragilis,

Campanula Leutweiana,

Campanula Macrantha,

Campanula Nobilis,

Clematis Diversifolia,

Clematis Integrifolia,

Clianthus Dampieri,

Delphinium Nudicaule,

Funkia,

Gentiana Acaulis,

Hibiscus Speciosa,

Humea Elegans,

Musa Ensete,

Phlox, Perennial,

Phormium,

Physianthus,

Tritoma Uvaria,

Yucca.

One Year or More

Adlumia,

Ampelopsis,

Anthericum,

Clematis, in variety,

Dictamnus,

Fuchsia,

Geranium Sanguineum,

Iris,

Lilies,

Lupinus Polyphyllus,

Musa,

Tradescantia,

Viola Odorata.

In the foregoing tables it will be observed that a flower occasionally appears in two or more sections. When this occurs, the first date indicates the time in which strong and fresh seed should germinate in flats in the house, or in hotbeds; the latter indicates the time for old seed, under less favourable conditions, and marks the limit of time in which plants may be expected.

Chapter TWENTY-TWO
Blooming Season of Various Trees, Shrubs, and Plants

T.—Tree. S.—Shrub. V.—Vine. H. P.—Hardy Perennial. A.—Annual. H. H. P.—Hardy Herbaceous Perennial. E.—Evergreen.

April
Akebia Quinata	H. P. V.
Alyssum Argenteum	H. P.
Anemone Blanda	H. P.
Bellis Perennis	H. P. E.
Dicentra—Bleeding Heart	H. H. P.
Dicentra—Dutchman’s Breeches	H. P.
Dodecatheon	H. P.
Forsythia—Golden Bells	H. S.
Sanguinaria—Blood Root	H. H. P.
Saxifrage	H. P.
Uvularia—Bellwort	H. P.
Vinca, Periwinkle, Myrtle	H. P. E.
Violets, in var	H. P. E.
May
Adonis	H. P.
Ajuga	H. H. P.
Alyssum Argenteum	H. H. P.
Alyssum Saxatile	H. H. P.
Amsonia	H. H. P.
Aquilegia Argenteum	H. H. P.
Arum—Cuckoo Flower	H. H. P.
Aubretia	H. H. P.
Azalea	S.
Barberry	S.
Bellis—English Daisy	H. P. E.
Callicarpa Japonica	H. P.
Calycanthus—Sweet Shrub	H. P. S.
Chionanthus—White Wings	H. P. S.
Convallaria—Lily of the Valley	H. H. P.
Daphne	H. S. E.
Deutzia	H. P. S.
Dicentra	H. H. P.
Doronicum	H. H. P.
Double-flowered Almond	H. S.
Double-flowered Crab	H. S.
Double-flowered Peach	H. S.
Epimedium	H. H. P.
Euonymus—Burning Bush	H. S.
Exochorda—Pearl Bush	H. S.
Genista	H. H. P.
Halesia—Snowdrop	H. T.
Hawthorn	H. T.
Honeysuckle—Bush	H. S.
Iris Aurea	H. H. P.
Iris Siberica	H. H. P.
Lychnis—Red Campion	H. H. P.
Ornithogalum—Bulbous	H. H. P.
Phlox Subulata	H. P.
Polemonium—Greek Valerian	H. P.
Polyanthus	H. P. E.
Potentilla, June to August	H. P.
Primula—English Primrose	H. P. E.
Pulmonaria—Lungwort	H. H. P.
Pyrus—(Cydonia) Japonica	H. P. S.
Ranunculus Half	H. P.
Rhododendrons	H. S. E.
Ribes—Flowering Currant	H. S.
Sanguinaria—Blood Root	H. H. P.
Spiræa Filipendula	H. H. P.
Spiræa Thunbergi	H. S.
Spiræa Van Houttei	H. S.
Syringa—Lilac	H. T.
Tamarix	H. S.
Trillium	H. H. P.
Veronica	H. P.
Viburnum—Snowball	H. S.
Vinca—Myrtle	H. P. E.
Weigela	H. S.
June
Aconitum—Monkshood	H. H. P.
Alstromeria—Peruvian Lily	H. H. P.
Anchusa	H. H. P.
Anthemis	H. H. P.
Anthericum—St. Bruno’s Lily	H. H. P.
Aquilegia	H. H. P.
Armeria	H. P.
Arum	H. P.
Astragalus—Milk Vetch	H. H. P.
Baptisia	H. P.
Bellis	H. P. E.
Buphthalmum	H. P.
Callirhoe	H. P.
Campanula	H. P. E.
Cassia	H. P.
Catalpa	H. T.
Centaurea	H. P.
Centranthus	H. P.
Coreopsis	H. P.
Cornus—Dogwood	H. T.
Coronilla	H. P.
Delphinium	H. H. P.
Deutzia Gracilis	H. S.
Deutzia—Pride of Rochester	H. S.
Digitalis	H. P. E.
Doronicum	H. P.
Dracocephalum	H. P.
Erigeron	H. P.
Heuchera	H. H. P.
Hollyhock	H. H. P. E.
Honeysuckle	H. V.
Hydrangea—Climbing	H. P. V.
Iris	H. H. P.
Jasminum	H. P.
Laburnum	H. T.
Lathyrus—Everlasting Pea	H. H. P.
Lilium Canadense	H. H. P. (bulb)
Lilium Candidum	H. H. P. E. (bulb)
Lilium Longiflorum	H. H. P. (bulb)
Linden	H. T.
Locust	H. T.
Lychnis Chalcedonica	H. H. P.
Lychnis Coronaria	H. H. P.
Lychnis Gigantea	H. H. P.
Magnolia	H. T.
Monarda	H. P.
Mountain Ash	H. T.
Papaver—Poppy	H. H. P. & A.
Pentstemon Half	H. P.
Philadelphus	H. T.
Potentilla	H. P.
Pyrethrum	H. H. T.
Ranunculus	H. P.
Rhododendron	H. P. E.
Rose	Hardy S.
Salpiglossis	A.
Schizanthus	A.
Sedum	H. P.
Spiræa, in var	H. P.
Sweet Alyssum	A.
Sweet Peas	A.
Sweet Scabiosa	H. P.
Sweet Sultan	A.
Veronica	T. P.
Vinca	E. V.
Violets	H. P. E.
July
Achillea	H. H. P.
Allium Angularis	H. P.
Anthemis	H. P.
Armeria	H. P.
Asphodel	H. P.
Aster Alpinus	H. P.
Bignonia Radicans	H. P. V.
Bocconia	H. P.
Campanula	H. P. E.
Candytuft	A.
Chrysanthemum Maximum	H. P.
Cobæa Scandens	Tender P. V.
Coreopsis	H. P.
Cosmos	A.
Dahlia	Tender P.
Datura	A.
Dictamnus	H. P.
Digitalis	H. P. E.
Dracocephalum	H. P.
Eccremocarpus	V. A.
Euphorbia	A.
Evening Primrose	H. P.
Funkia	P.
Gypsophila	A.
Iris—Japanese	H. P.
Liatris	H. P.
Lilium Auratum	H. P.
Linum	H. P.
Lychnis	H. H. P.
Perennial Phlox	H. H. P.
Phlox Drummondi	A.
Potentilla	H. P.
Salvia	Tender P.
Statice	H. P.
Thalictrum	H. P.
Thymus	H. P.
Vinca	Tender P.
Yucca	H. P. E.
August
Achillea	H. H. P.
Allium	H. P.
Armeria	H. H. P.
Asphodel	H. H. P.
Bellis	H. P. E.
Callirhoe	H. P.
Campanula	H. P. E.
Carnation	T. P.
Centranthus	H. P.
Clerodendron	H. P.
Cobæa	V. A.
Cosmos	A.
Delphinium	H. P.
Dianthus	H. H. P.
Digitalis	H. P. E.
Dolichos	V. A.
Eupatorium	H. P.
Euphorbia	A.
Funkia	H. H. P.
Helianthus	H. P.
Hibiscus	H. H. P.
Hollyhock	H. S.
Hydrangea, late in August	H. P. S.
Hypericum Moserianum	H. S.
Liatris	H. P.
Lilium Album	H. H. P.
Lilium Auratum	H. H. P.
Lilium Melpomene	H. H. P.
Lilium Roseum	H. H. P.
Lilium Rubrum	H. H. P.
Lobelia Cardinalis	H. H. P. E.
Lychnis	H. H. P.
Monarda	H. P.
Œnothera	H. P.
Pentstemon	H. P.
Phlox, Perennial	H. H. P.
Platycodon	H. H. P.
Rudbeckia	H. H. P.
Salvia	Tender P.
Sedum	H. P.
Silphium	H. P.
Statice	H. P.
Vinca	Tender P.
September
Althea	H. P. T.
Anchusa	H. P.
Anemone—Queen Charlotte	H. H. P.
Anemone—Whirlwind	H. H. P.
Asters, in var	A. & H. H. P.
Boltonia	H. P.
Clematis Paniculata	H. P. V.
Erianthus	H. P.
Eulalia	H. P.
Eupatorium	A. H. P.
Euphorbia	A.
Gladiolus	Bulbs
Golden Rod	H. H. P.
Hibiscus	H. P. & T. P.
Hydrangea	H. P.
Ipomœa	A.
Lobelia Cardinalis	H. H. P. E.
Pampas Grass Half	H. P.
Rudbeckia	H. P.
Salvia	T. P.
Statice	H. P.
Tritoma	Tender P.
Vinca	Tender P.
All Summer
Ageratum	A.
Antirrhinum	T. P.
Armeria	A.
Balsam	A.
Bartonia	P.
Begonia, Tuberous	T. P.
Begonia, Vernon	T. P.
Brachycome	P.
Browallia	T. A.
Canary Bird Vine	A.
Candytuft	A.
Canna	Tender P. Rhizomes
Celosia	A.
Centrosema	H. P.
Clarkia	A.
Cleome Pungens	A.
Cobæa Scandens	A.
Collinsia	A.
Cosmos	A.
Crotolaria	A.
Cypress Vine	A.
Delphinium	H. P.
Gloxinia	T. P.
Hyacinthus Candicans	H. P.
Ipomœa	A.
Maurandya	P.
Nasturtium	A.
Pansy	P.
Petunia	A.
Portulaca	A.
Rose	Hardy or Half Hardy S.
Sweet Pea	A.
Sweet Scabiosa	A.
Sweet Sultan	H. P.
Thunbergia	T. P.
Verbena	T. P.
Veronica	H. P.
Vinca	T. P.
Vincetoxicum	H. P.

Chapter TWENTY-THREE
A Chapter of Odds and Ends

Tools: There is always a tendency among beginners to overload with the paraphernalia of their calling, whatever it may be. When the first enthusiasm passes, and one becomes a careful and successful worker, all that is superfluous is gradually dropped, and one realises that it is brains and not tools that make the successful gardener. A hotbed, a cold-frame or two, a work-table in some convenient place, a trowel, wheel-barrow, spade, pitchfork, rake, hoe, a few yards of stout cord, a hatchet to sharpen stakes, a watering-pot, rubber sprinkler, rubber gloves, a good supply of pots and wire-netting, and a couple of good mole-traps cover the real necessaries. Incidentals, such as wire-sieves, lath-screens, trellises, and the like, may be made as they are required.

One should not have more tools than can be kept in good working order.

An excellent place for Begonias, Gloxinias, and other shade-loving plants is made by fitting a wide shelf under a north or east window on the outside, with a raised edge three or four inches high, made by tacking strips of wood across the front and ends. Inclose with window-netting, first nailing strips of wood from the outer corners of the shelf to the upper corners of the window-casing to support the netting. When the shelf is filled with wet sand, and the plants plunged in it, one has a miniature greenhouse accessible from the room, and safe from trespass of chickens, cats, or careless feet. The shelf may extend considerably beyond the window-casing if desired, and be made attractive from the outside by climbing vines. The Maurandya is fine here, as it will push its tips through the netting, and be very ornamental; the Asparagus tenuissimus and A. plumosus nanus are also good. A couple of plant-brackets fastened to the outside casing will afford room for drooping plants, and add to the attractiveness of the shelf. Primroses will bloom here all summer, and Ferns, Gloxinias, and fancy-leaved Caladiums find a congenial home.

Insecticides

A good supply of insecticides should be kept in store, or at least the formulas and materials for preparing them. Plant enemies have increased to such an alarming extent in the past few years that comparatively few flowers are free from them, and some kinds, as the Rose, Dahlia, Aster, Clematis, and Cosmos, are becoming more and more difficult to raise. The Rose, especially, is in need of constant care and watchfulness from the swelling of the leaf-bud until the end of the growing season. One of its most dreaded fungous diseases is known as “black spot,” which must be given thorough treatment in the beginning, before the leaves start in the spring on plants that have been previously affected. Syringe with Bordeaux mixture and repeat once or twice a week during the growing season.

Cosmos Borer is very destructive to the Cosmos, Dahlia, Asters, and Clematis; the preventive is a teaspoonful of Paris green to three gallons of water, poured around the base of the plant, using sufficient to wet the ground three or four inches deep. Begin when the plant is a foot high, and continue until fully grown.

The Black Beetle is an unpleasant pest that has become very destructive to the Asters, eating the flowers, and soon destroying an entire bed if not promptly checked. It resembles the common blister beetle, but is smaller and jet black in colour; it is easily killed by knocking off into a pan of water containing a little kerosene. In the early morning it is very sluggish, and may be picked off and killed, or the plants may be showered with the Paris-green solution, but the appearance of the first bug must be the signal for active operations.

Plant Louse or Green Fly: This little insect commonly infests house-plants; it is called a fly because in one stage of its existence it has wings. The remedies are tobacco in some form, or sulpho-tobacco soap syringed on the foliage, or the hot-water bath.

Black or Chrysanthemum Lice require practically the same treatment. Tobacco-dust on the leaves will usually prevent their appearance, and should be applied early in the summer and after every rain.

The Mealy Bug is a little whitish mass, like cotton in appearance, often found on house-plants and on the Spiræas. Syringe with whale-oil soap solution; or, if the plant is small, work over it, touching each bug with a brush dipped in alcohol; or use the hot-water bath.

Red Spider can only be kept at bay by fresh air and the plentiful use of water; spray or syringe daily. Use the hot-water bath if the spiders have gotten a foothold.

Rose Hopper, or Thrips—small yellowish insects on the under side of Rose leaves, from which they suck the juice, causing them to turn brown; whale-oil soap syringed on the under side of the leaves is the best remedy.

Rose Slugs are small green caterpillars that feed on the Rose leaves and buds, lying on the under side of the leaves, or drawing two leaves together with a slight web. Work over the plants, pinching the leaves between thumb and finger, or syringe with whale-oil solution, or dust with powdered hellebore when wet.

Rose Bug—a small, dark bug striped with light yellow, which is very destructive to the Roses, eating the flowers. Plants may be syringed, or showered with the Paris-green solution at night or early in the morning, but must be attended to promptly, as the bugs are very destructive, stripping a bed of its flowers in a surprisingly short time. Roses treated with Paris green should always be plainly and conspicuously labelled to that effect.

Earth-worms and the like may be easily destroyed by thoroughly soaking the soil in the pots with lime-water, which is best done by plunging a pot to the brim (not over) in the solution, and removing the worms as they come to the surface. It may be necessary to repeat this once or twice.

Formulas

The following formulas are from the New York Agricultural Station and are reliable:

Normal, or 1.6 per cent. Bordeaux Mixture
Copper Sulphate (blue vitriol)	6 pounds
Quicklime (good stone lime)	4 pounds
Water	50 gallons

Dissolve the copper sulphate by putting it in a bag of coarse cloth, and hanging it in a wooden or earthen vessel containing five or six gallons of water. After the copper sulphate has dissolved, dilute with water to twenty-five gallons; slake the lime, and add twenty-five gallons of water; mix the two, and keep thoroughly stirred while using. If the mixture is to be used on Carnations, or the like, it will adhere better if a pound of hard soap be dissolved in hot water and added.

Kerosene Emulsion
Hard Soap	½ pound
Boiling Water	1 gallon
Kerosene	2 gallons

Dissolve the soap in the water; add the kerosene, and churn with a spray or force-pump until they unite and have the appearance and consistency of buttermilk. Dilute with water to twenty-five or thirty gallons before applying.

Paris-green Solution
Paris green	1 pound
Water	50 gallons

Keep constantly stirred when using.

Hot-water Bath

The hot-water bath will, in nearly every case, take the place of insecticides and give better results, as it thoroughly cleanses the foliage and leaves no bad effects, if not too hot. Heat to 140° if for spraying, and use before it cools; 136° if the plants are to be dipped.

FENCES MAY BE MADE ATTRACTIVE WITH VINES OR PLANTS

Next in convenience to a pair of rubber gloves for the garden are the duck mittens sold for household purposes. All sorts of garden work may be done in these, even the transplanting of quite small plants. They have also the advantage of being very cheap, or they may be manufactured at home. Always have an extra pair on hand. Gardening without gloves is ruinous to the hands and a needless discomfort.

For watering the window-garden, a small pot with a long spout that will go between the plants will be a great convenience, as by its use the farthest plants may be watered without disturbing the others. This means a saving of time on busy mornings, and insures against neglect.

The life of the gardener who raises chickens is full of perplexities. Certainly nothing is more vexing and discouraging than to have one’s plants repeatedly scratched out of the ground by chickens. With netting so cheap there is no good reason why chickens, or other farm stock, should have the range of the yard.

Nothing is more filthy or conducive to disease than the presence of fowls in the door-yard. There are few house-yards that cannot be isolated from the rest of the premises by a judicious use of wire-netting, and where the conditions call for it this should be the first thing done. It will not be at all satisfactory to surround the beds with netting, which is inconvenient and unsightly. The whole yard, or at least the entire garden, should be inclosed, using netting high enough to turn any fowl, say at least five feet; even Plymouth Rocks will take a four-foot fence. For Brown Leghorns six feet is a safer height than five feet. There should be no place on the top of the fence on which the birds can alight. At the bottom a board will make all secure, and prevent the chickens digging under; and it will be better if set a little below the surface of the ground, which should be made hard and firm around it.

Fences may be made attractive with vines or plants. Sweet-peas, Nasturtiums, Morning-glories, Cobæa scandens, Wild Cucumbers, the Scarlet-fruited Gourd, Roses, Clematis or Honeysuckles make a good background for the lawn and beds of bright flowers.

Chapter TWENTY-FOUR
A Chapter of Don’ts

Don’t forget to air the hotbeds on warm, sunny days, and to protect them on cold ones.

Don’t forget that plants need room to develop, and set them far enough apart to make this possible.

Don’t forget to water the window-boxes every day, and to keep the sand in the sand-box wet all the time.

Don’t forget to go over the Pansies and Sweet-peas every day, and remove all withered flowers. Don’t let them suffer for want of water at any period of their bloom.

Don’t try to raise more plants than you have room for, or strength and time to cultivate. A few plants well cared for are better than a neglected garden—a most discouraging sight. The gardener will find enough real difficulty without inviting disaster.

Don’t try to follow all the advice that is offered you; make up your mind what you want to do and go steadily ahead. If you fail you will know how, and why, which is in itself a distinct gain. It is a good rule never to take the advice of an unsuccessful person, no matter how reasonable it sounds. Distrust garrulous advice; the gardener with real knowledge is not inclined to force advice upon others.

Don’t be cast down by adverse criticism unless your judgment tells you it is deserved. The person who “knows it all” is never so much at home as in some one else’s flower-garden, where the principal labour may be done with the tongue.

Don’t be wheedled into spoiling your plants by saving seed for one who is perfectly able to buy; instead, give the address of the dealer from whom you purchased, and suggest that he will be glad to fill orders. Don’t rob your plant of cuttings that are necessary to its symmetry; this, too, is a case for the florist. There are people who seem to feel it an injustice for any one to possess a plant with more than one branch so long as they are not supplied with that particular variety.

Don’t, when you have purchased a dozen Violets or Primulas, meaning to divide them after awhile to make the border you did not feel like purchasing outright, be imposed upon to the extent of giving half of them away to some one who has been waiting for this very opportunity. The experienced gardener learns to steer such people away from plants she does not wish to part with, or have mutilated, but the amateur is looked upon as legitimate prey. I have frequently known people to break a branch from plants they were handling, with the expectation of being told to keep it. The remedy for this sort of thing is to immediately place it in the ground with some remark about having a place for it.

Don’t supply with cut flowers, plants, and the like, people who spend more money for unnecessary luxuries than you do for your whole garden, and then tell you how foolish you are to spend so much time and money, and work so hard for your flowers. Don’t be too deeply impressed with the sudden friendship at gardening time of the woman who has managed to get along without your society all winter. Don’t be imposed upon by the chronic plant-beggar, but suggest to her that you will be glad to lend your catalogues; that in them she will find, at reasonable prices, all the things you have in your garden; and that the florist will doubtless be glad of her patronage.

Don’t, on the other hand, be lacking in generosity of the right sort. Flowers may be given to rich and poor alike, and carry no hint of obligation, or unfitness. To the tired worker who has neither time nor space to cultivate them, a handful of flowers, or a potted plant, which can be spared from your abundance, will make a bit of sunshine well worth the trouble. For many who cannot spare the trifling amount a single plant or packet of seed would cost, the surplus plants from flats or hotbeds will be a great pleasure, and one should not wait for requests. Those who really cannot afford these things are rarely guilty of the petty meanness of the professional plant-beggars. It is a good plan to jot down, from time to time as they occur, the names of those you would like to benefit in this way, and then, when you have surplus plants, send word of that fact, and of the time when it will be convenient to take them up. This will be better than sending the plants, which might arrive when it would be inconvenient or impossible to attend to them.

There are so many ways of giving pleasure with flowers that one need never be embarrassed with a surplus: the sick; the young girl who will enjoy them for her party; the young matron, for her pretty luncheon; the church service, the humble funeral, where the choicest and best should go. A beautiful tact may be shown by a choice in harmony with the taste of the recipient and the occasion for which they are intended. Do not send all white flowers, or flowers with a heavy perfume, to the sick-room. Bright flowers are better. Notice the cheer in a pot of golden Daffodils or a bunch of Hepaticas. A charming thing is a handful of Japanese Morning-glory buds picked and sent the night before, that the invalid may watch their unfolding in the morning. I have known these to give the greatest pleasure.

Don’t be too greatly cast down by failures; they have their uses. One failure, if it sets you to studying out the cause and remedy, is worth a dozen haphazard successes. We grow plants with even success for some time, then, without any recognised change in the treatment, we meet with failure. We look for the reason, and our education is begun. When we have found the cause of failure, we have made a long step forward.

Don’t fail to take some good floral magazines, they are helpful in many ways, and keep you in touch with what other workers are doing.

Don’t try to work in unsuitable clothing. Easy, broad, solid shoes—not any old run-down pair—should be considered as essential as a spade, or rake, and skirts that clear the instep, and hang comfortably. Waists with easy arm-holes and collar will enable one to work with a degree of comfort that means the accomplishment of an amount of work in a morning quite impossible were one less comfortably clad. Skirts of blue denim, made Princess style, and ankle length, with comfortable shirt-waists—denim for cool days, calico for warm—make a thoroughly comfortable outfit.

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