Winter Meeting. 165 



If yoii want to devote about forty acres of groiiiicl to the cultivation 

 of blackberries, plant about three healthy vines in some corner of the 

 f.elcl about the middle of April. Then about the first of May, the man 

 ^vho owns the farm on the other side of the road, will bring civil action 

 against you, and try to collect damages for destruction of his two fields 

 of wheat by a raid of blackberry vines. 



It is not kno^ATi just at what season of the year blackberries ripen. 

 The blackberry has never been known to ripen. If the hucksters and 

 boys should all die in June, it is probable that the berries would ripen 

 sometime in Julv or August. But thev never had a chance to see what 

 they could do at ripening. 



The blackberry is so named because it is blue, in order to distin- 

 guish it from the blueberry which is black. — Burlington Hawk Eye. 



THE SIX BEST FLOWERS FROM SEED. 



. By Mrs. G. E. Dugan, Sedalia, Mo. 



The theme assig-ned for this essay, will permit but one form of 

 treatment, and the writer must of necessity convey to her audience 

 merely her individual taste in the matter of floral selection. 



As there are "many men of many minds," my choice of flowers 

 may not meet and satisfy a general public demand. 



To give personal preferences, with reasons therefor, will be the 

 simplest task possible, but I shall not expect every one who hears this 

 paper to concur in my individual views. My particular fancy runs 

 to sweet peas, pansies, petunias, asters, nasturtiums, and poppies, in 

 the order named. But it is hard to make a decided choice of these few 

 with so many other desirable ones left off the list urging their claims. 

 !N^othing will take the place of scarlet salvia, cosmos, snap dragon, 

 salpiglossis, and numerous other good annuals, but when it comes to 

 limiting the list to six, those mentioned first are my choice. 



I place sweet peas at the head of the list, because of their general 

 usefulness, as an all-purpose flower. The sweet pea combines profusion 

 of blossom with the sweetest fragrance, and daintiest coloring. There 

 is nothing prettier for corsage bouquets, and they make very fine hand 



