392 STATE nOETICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



danger of their becoming water-soaked after Avatcring, the natural supply 

 being given ol! partly in the form of vapor. The most convenient size for the 

 boxes is about two feet square and six or eight inches deep, but they may be 

 larger or smaller. An early growth is made the next spring by putting them 

 iu a hot-bed for a few weeks before planting in open ground. A small portion 

 of a hot-bed will hold a large number placed compactly together. 



PANSIES 



W. H. White, in the Country Gentleman, says: 



To obtain choice, large blossoms, pansies require very rich soil in a somewhat 

 sheltered location. A bed which has been used as a hot-bed the previous season 

 and left over makes an excellent place for them. Either of the following 

 methods of growing plants will be found successful : Sow the seeds in a box 

 of rich soil about the first of April, and set it in a south sunny window. About 

 the middle of May transplant them into the bed where they are to blossom. 

 Another way is to sow the seeds in a bed, where they are to blossom, about the 

 first ot September, and on the approach of freezing weather cover the bed with 

 strawy manure. Or they may be sowed in any bed of good soil and treated in 

 the same manner. They will come out fresh and strong in the spring and can 

 be left to grow, or may be transplanted to any desired location. Good seed, rich 

 soil, and good care bring fine blossoms. 



************** 



P. E. Cope, in American Garden, gives a little more specific directions as to 

 soil : 



My mode of treatment consisted in placing an old hot-bed frame in a shady 

 place. Then I mixed well one part of old cow manure and one part of common 

 sand (the washings of the roadside) with two parts of good loam, and filled in 

 the frame, levelling the surface with a layer of the same sifted compost. The 

 seed was then sown thinly, covered about one-third of an inch deep, and pressed 

 down firmly with a board. It sjn-outcd quickly and made a fine growth. As 

 soon as the plants were large enough for handling I pricked them out in another 

 frame filled with the same compost. Here they were left during winter. They 

 wintered well, and in spring I planted them out in rows in a bed which was 

 composed of the same mixture used in the frames. The proper composition of 

 the soil is of great importance, and is, I think, the main point in growing 

 pansies. About the middle of July I cut the tops off and shaded them a little 

 for a few weeks, and all through autumn they were magnificent. 



ENGLISH IVY. 



Neltnor's magazine speaks in high praise of the English ivy for drawing room 

 decoration. The following directions are given for the management of ivy 

 plants: 



Being very strong they will live through almost any treatment; but study 

 their peculiarities, and manifest a willingness to gratify them, and they will 

 grow without stint. Most houses are too hot for them, as indeed they arc for 

 their owners. Neither iilants nor people should have the average temperature 

 over sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Take care and not enfeeble your ivies by 



