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153 ANNUALS, AND TUKIR CILTIVATION 



we lovo to read of the beautiful and costly flowers that year after year make tlieir 

 appearance in tlie floral world, do not forgot the wants of those who live far away 

 in the west, and f:ir from places where such things can be obtaineil, and yet who lovo 

 flowers as ardently as those who are more favorably situated for its gratification." 

 This hint we shall remember, as it accords with our own feelings. We lovo flowers 



we almost worship these children of the field. We love to enter the conservatory 



and there behold the dazzling array of beauty, gathered from every land and every 

 clinie, — but we love equally well to enter the little cottage garden and witness how 

 taste can render lovely the humble abode of poverty. Uow beautiful is the cottage 

 embowered in vines and roses. It is decorated with nature's own drapery ; the rich 

 green of the foliage — the brilliant blossoms — the delightful fragrance — all combine to 

 render this an enchanted spot. The poet must have had such a " home" in view when 



he sung — 



"An exile from home, splendor (Laz/Jee in vain ; 

 And I sigh for my lonely thatched cottage again." 



Sti-ip from the cottage the honeysuckles, the running roses, the jasmines, and it is a 

 poor affair — old, rough, and unsightly. All can afford to surround their homes with 

 flowers ; no one can afford to have a barren and desolate home. 



But we started to talk of Annuals and their Cultivation, and must confine ourselves 

 to the subject. 



The first work is the selection of the ground and its preparation. A warm and 

 sheltered position should be chosen, if possible, as on the south side of a fence ; but 

 care must be taken to select a place on which water will not stand. The ground 

 should be deeply dug and well pulverized. If not rich, well rotted manure should 

 be dug in. If the gi-ound is clayey, and liable to become hard by the beating of the 

 rain and the drying sun, some light mold from the woods should be added, or some 

 sandy loam, or mold from an old pasture ; one of which can be procured in almost 

 any neighborhood. 



After the ground is prepared the seed may be sown ; but, a little caution is neces- 

 sary not to sow seed too thick, as beginners generally make this error. As there is 

 some difficulty in sowing the finer seed evenly, they may be mixed with three or 

 four times the quantity of sand or ashes. They may be then lightly covered with 

 fine mold, sifted over them — the smaller the seed, the lighter the covering. It is 

 bettor to cover too lightly than too heavily. You have now nothing to do but to 

 wait patiently till they " come up^ Be sure and destroy all weeds as fast as they 

 make their appearance. If your plants are too thick, which they are very apt to be, 

 transplant them to other beds, or along the borders of the paths, choosing some 

 showery day for this work. But be sure and remove them before the plants in the 

 bed become crowded, or they will become injured — taking out the smallest and weak- 

 est plants. In removing plants, they should be taken up carefully, with a ball of 

 earth attached, disturbing the roots as little as possible. This is better done when 

 the ground is moist. They will generally need no further care except to keep tlie 



