104 THE FLOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 



by the presence of Tcrinin. It is best in all cases where loam from 

 rotted turf is introduced to tlie flower garden, to put a few traps for 

 wire worms: slices of potato and carrot are the best; and if these 

 traps reveal tlie presence of the vermin in any quantity, it will be 

 well to pursue a system of trapping till they are reduced or anni- 

 hilated, and as lonf}: as the traps are kept up fresh and fresh, they 

 will not touch any plant in the ground. 



Two causes of the occasional failure of verbenas require to be 

 mentioned. If they starve for a long time in small pots in very 

 sandy and innutritions soil, or are got into a succulent condition 

 by being grown fast in a damp and highly-heated atmosphere, 

 they are very likely to become the prey of red spider soon after 

 being planted out, or to be thrown into a blooming state before they 

 have made sufiicient growth and root-hold ; and then, after a 

 tolerably good display of colour they become lean and poor, and 

 scarcely bloom again for the rest of the season. To prevent such 

 catastrophes, make it the rule never to plant until the plants are 

 somewhat hardened by exposure to the atmosphere in some sheltered 

 place in their pots. If they are put out under a wall or fence, or 

 in a pit where they can be covered at night, they may be very safely 

 hardened, and a few days of such exposure will be better than 

 transferring them suddenly from under glass to the open ground. 

 At this time of year exposure to the weather, with shelter for a 

 week, is sufficient to harden any plant ; but earlier in the season a 

 longer period of exposure, and with more care as to shelter at night, 

 is needful. In the case of verbenas grown to a large size and 

 showing bloom in very small pots, there will be saving of time in 

 the end if they are first shifted into pots the next size, with good 

 compost, and the blooms all nipped out ; and when they have filled 

 those pots with roots they will be found to be in a free-growing 

 state, just fit for turning out into beds, and will last longer and 

 make a much better display than if they had been planted out in 

 the first instance, and allowed to bloom immediately. But starved 

 verbenas may be planted out without shifting, or if advantage can 

 be taken of warm, damp weather, when, instead of languishing till 

 red spider seizes upon them — which would surely be the case if put 

 out in hot dry weather — they will make new roots at once ; and if 

 the incipient blooms are all nipped out, they will devote their 

 energies to the formation of new wood and a store of the vegetable 

 pulp, which is the first necessity of free blooming, and for the rest 

 of the season bloom superbly. You see the object of these methods 

 of management is to secure a free-rooting and a free-growing habit 

 first ; and when a good foundation is secured, the plants may be 

 allowed to bloom as much as they please, but if forced into prema- 

 ture bloom by any process of starvation they will be ruined for the 

 season. 



Kow as to pegging. There are many close-growing dwarf kinds 

 of verbenas that never require pegging ; those with lax and vigorous 

 habits must be pegged. It is important, however, for the amateur 

 to remember that it is possible to be in too great a hurry with 

 pegging, and so check the growth and spoil the display. After the 



