96 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Alice Thorn pson,Gaylord, Otsego county. 

 Vevia Wadsworth, Blissfield, Lenawee county. 

 Jennie F. Hay, Soule, Huron county. 

 Miss H. DesJardins. Pilion, Huron county. 

 Miss A. Sergeants, Napoleon, Jackson count}'. 

 Geo. M. Macliay, Capac, St. Clair county. 

 C. P. Reynolds, Greenbush district Xo. 1. 



These carefully prepared directions accompanied each package of seeds : 



DIRECTIONS FOR CULTURE. 



Read carefully all of the following directions, before doing anything, and the 

 special cultural directions for each variety again immediately before planting it. 



Do not undertake too much; better have a bed 2 feet by 4 under one window, well 

 cared for, than half the yard poorly tended. 



Locating the Beds. 



Do not locate your flower beds so as to interfere with the play-ground. Unless 

 your yard is very large it will be best to confine them to narrow, rectangular beds, 

 along the sides of the building or along the side or front fences. Be sure and leave 

 ample room for the children to crowd out en masse without trampling on the flowers. 



Carefully study the catalogue sent with the seeds, and locate your plants according 

 to their height, so that they will not hide each other, and so that the different colors 

 will show to advantage. The catalogue and these directions should be kept in the 

 school-house for constant refei'ence. 



Preparation oj the Ground. 



If the spot selected is close turf, spade it up cnvef ally, inverti7ig each spadeful so 

 that the grass is left at the bottom. If tliere is no sod, or but very little, cover the 

 surface with a coat of fine stable manure, varying in depth in different parts from 

 one to five inches. Then spade as before, but mix the manure through the soil, not 

 leaving it in a mass at the bottom. In either case after spading, cover the surface 

 with very fine well rotted manure, and hoe or rake it in so that It will be well mixed 

 with the upper two inches of soil. If fine, well-rotted manure is not procurable, sub- 

 stitute that from lien roosts, using a less quantity, taking great care that it does not 

 remain in large masses, but is well distributed tlirough the soil. 



Remember that your success will depend quite largely upon the amount of manure 

 and the thoroughness of the preparation. 



Sowing the Seed. 



Do not plant any of the seeds when the ground is wet. Make the surface as fine 

 and smooth as possible. 



Cover each sort of seed to a depth proportionate to i'ts size. The finest, like 

 portulaca, not more than i incli deep, those the size of a pin head, h inch, and those 

 as big as a pea 1 inch. 



Press the soil down firmly over the seed. After making the soil as fine as possible 

 with a rake, make it, for the smaller seeds still finer, by crumbling tlie lumps up in 

 the hands. 



Procure a bit of lath (it would be better if planed smooth) about 2 feet long, press 

 the edge down into the soil evenly, so as to make a groove as deep as the seed is to 

 be planted, scatter the seed along this, allowing 4 or 5 of the larger to 15 or 20 of the 

 smaller seeds to the space one plant is to occupy when grown. Take care not to spill 

 any of the seeds between the rows. Cover the seed bj* pinching the earth together over 

 it, then turn your lath flatwise, and press the soil down firmly and evenly. 



Put a little stick at each end of each row. so as to mark it, then pull up all weeds that 

 appear between the rows IhQ first day they can be seen. Do not pull plants out of the 

 row unless you are sure they are weeds. 



Cultivation. 



Follow the culture directions given under each variety, but observe this general 

 rule: never stir the ground when it is wet, or when i/je plants are wet from dew. 

 This applies to the first spading as well. 



Alyssum. 



Select a spot where it will be dry and no!, shaded. Sow as early as you can get 

 the ground ready. Plant in rows 8 inches apart, and thin to 4 inches in the row. If 



