THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 143 



points mentioned, but it will be impossible to deal fully with each, 

 because of the space that would of necessity be required. 



Let ns first of all consider the preparation of the beds. In do- 

 ing so it is needful to observe that this should be done as early in 

 the season as circumstances will permit. If it can be done imme- 

 diately after the beds are cleared in the autumn, it will be an advan- 

 tage, but as the beds are now generally filled with spring flowers, 

 few indeed are the instances in which they can be prepared in the 

 autumn for the summer season. The preparation consists in digging 

 them up rather deeply, and in certain cases manuring them liberally. 

 Some of the bedders require a much richer soil than others, and 

 therefore it will be necessary to determine first of all what each bed 

 is to be filled with. 



Speaking generally upon this point, it may be observed that 

 zonal pelargoniums, tropseolums, tagetes, petunias, perilla, golden 

 feather, centaureas, and a few other things, succeed most satisfac- 

 torily in soils that have not been enriched with manure. If the soil 

 is exceptionally light, a moderate dressing of manure will be of 

 service, but as a rule the plants do better without it. On the other 

 hand, the soil for calceolarias and violas cannot be too rich, and 

 liberal mannring may be regarded as the best specific for the disease 

 which frequently does so much mischief amongst the former. Be- 

 tween these two extremes we have the verbenas, annual phloxes, 

 heliotropiums, ageratums, lobelias, and the majority of the foliage 

 bedders that produce the best effect when planted in soil which has 

 been enriched moderately with leaf-mould, or partly decayed manure. 

 The most important matter in the preparation of the beds is deep 

 digging, for if the roots are able to penetrate to a distance of fifteen 

 or twenty inches below the surface, the plants will make satisfactory 

 progress even if the soil is poor, and they will not, moreover, be 

 quickly aff"ected by drought. For securing a continuous display of 

 flowers until late in the season, no aid the plants can receive is equal 

 to deep digging. The beds must be cleared and dug over as soon as 

 the spring bedders are past their best for the purpose of exposing 

 the surface soil to the atmosphere for a week or so previous to 

 planting. 



Hardening off" the plants properly is of prime importance, for 

 when put out in a weakly or tender state in the unfavourable weather 

 occasionally experienced during the first two or three weeks in May, 

 they suff"er so Auch that half the summer is in many instances gone 

 before they thoroughly recover. Every eiFort should now be made 

 to remove all the more hardy things, such as the geraniums, calceo- 

 larias, and verbenas, from the frames to a sheltered situation out of 

 doors. In doing this place them in blocks of a convenient size to 

 admit of their being protected with mats or canvas in case of a 

 sharp frost. The more tender things, as for exa:nple, the coleus, 

 alternantheras, and seedlings of hardier subjects raised late in heat, 

 should be taken from the greenhouse and other structures they may 

 occupy, and be placed in the pits previously occupied Avith other 

 things. It will be needful to keep them close for a day or two at 

 first, but afterwards they must be fully exposed whenever the 



May. 



