' YO 



of Texas — air so dry that meat will cure hard in the hottest 

 weather without tainting. It so liappens, however, that from one 

 Fourth of July to the next we have nianj^ kinds of weather, and if 

 one could not find conditions suited to almost any kind of plant it 

 would be stran2:e. If we cannot make the weather accommodate 

 itself to the best comfort of the plants, we must set the plants so as 

 to accommodate itself to the weather. 



Pansies from foggy England and bulbs from the low lands of 

 Holland should be planted to bloom in the cool days of spring, and 

 the phlox from Texas will be quite happy in the heat and drought 

 of July and August. 



With this idea well fixed in your mind, you will easily see that 

 when you know the country from which a plant has come^ a knowl- 

 edge of the physical geography of that country will be helpful in 

 knowing how to make the plant happy and prosperous. 



We must also make the plant comfortable in the soil. There is 

 great difference in what plants require to make them comfortable. 

 Some, like thistles or mullein or ragweed, will thrive on almost any 

 soil and are no more exacting as to food than a goat or a mule ; but 

 other plants are as notional as children reared in the lap of luxury. 



As a rule, flowering plants belong to the lap-of-luxury class. 

 Elsewhere in this number you are told how nature has developed 

 soil. I hope you will read the article carefully, for there you will 

 understand that all earth is not soil. Soil covers the land as thin 

 skin covers an apple or as you would spread a thin coat of butter 

 over bread, and it holds more or less plant-food. 



AVhen men erect school buildings and afterwards grade the ground 

 they usually turn a part of the soil upside down. There is also con- 

 siderable rubbish of the builders left scattered about, such as brick- 

 bats, chips of stone, and the like, that go to make the place an 

 uncomfortable one for notional plants. For this reason 1 wish par- 

 ticularly to call your attention to the manner in which you should 

 prepare the ground on which you intend to plant. The first thing 

 to do is to spade the soil very thoroughly to the depth of at least 

 ten inches. All stones as large as a big boy's fist should be thrown 

 Qutj and all lumps given a bat with the back of the spado to make 



46d 



