40 ORNAMENTAL GARDENING 
lie about into the hole, they will never come up. It is a good plan 
to step on the mound and press it down well. 
Another weed nuisance is the smut grass (‘Sporobolus indicus) 
a wanderer from India which has become completely naturalized 
in the Southern States as well as over many of the warmer parts 
of the world. It is generally found along roads and paths or 
much trodden places where it soon occupies the ground to the 
exclusion of almost everything else. It seems to have a wonderful 
‘capacity to scatter its seeds for they constantly come up in the 
most unexpected places. I know of no way of eradicating it 
except by pulling or hoeing it up and burying it with all its 
seeds a couple of inches deep. I have been able by constant 
vigilance to keep my grounds reasonably clear of all of these by 
the above means but fresh seeds are constantly being brought 
in from other places. Cyperus, or Nut Grass, is a terrible weed 
which takes complete possession of ground when once it is es- 
tablished. It is said that hogs will clean it out or it may be 
destroyed by constant hoeing. 
It sometimes happens that a plant which is put into the open 
ground absolutely refuses to grow for a series of years, though it 
may seem to be in perfect health; or that it refuses to blossom. 
In such cases it is best to be patient and, instead of digging it 
up and throwing it away, let it remain and assume that you can 
wait as long asit can. Give it careful culture and a little fertil- 
izer during the growing season; a small quantity of stable or 
liquid manure may be good, and it is probable that in time you 
can overcome its balky disposition and be rewarded with growth 
and bloom. Again small plants sometimes actually deteriorate, 
they grow smaller and smaller. This may be caused by dry or 
cold weather, insect ravages or unsuitable soil and conditions. 
In some such cases I have carefully lifted the plants and put 
them back into pots in the slat house. In fact I have several 
plants that have been put out and taken up a number of times, 
and at last are doing well. . 
It seems necessary sometimes to use diplomacy, if I may use 
such an expression, when handling these delicate, sensitive 
things. We are wholly unacquainted with their native habitats 
in very many instances and must grope about blindly in our 
