HOW TO BEAUTIFY THE FARM YARD. 453 



and a trowel, and you will need to do little hand weeding- unless 

 the eround is very foul when you take it iti charge. I would not 

 take such a piece of ground if I could conveniently avoid it, but if 

 I did I would try very hard that first year to master every weed, 

 expecting to see better times and less work the next. If you will stir 

 the ground lightly, not deeply, around the plants frequently, they will 

 thrive without any extra amount of water, even in very dry weather. 

 Never let the ground bake. Stirring the surface soil frequently is 

 the one potent factor in gardening. 



Every one likes Dansies, and perhaps no other flower is so uni- 

 versally liked and recognized by men and boys ; so, if I had boys 

 I would try very hard to grow pansies. They are more difficult to 

 manage under ordinary conditions than most other plants ; still, if 

 they are pleased with their treatment they so quickly show it by 

 their smiling faces that we always long to have them. Usually 

 about the middle of March I plant seed carefully one inch apart itj 

 boxes (which are four or five inches deep) containing good, friable 

 garden soil with some drainage in the bottom of the box. I cover 

 the seed lightly and cover the box with a folded paper and keep that 

 paper wet. I set the boxes in a cool room. In about two weeks 

 the seeds'will germinate. Then remove the paper and gradually ex- 

 pose to the air and sun. Harden them up at last by putting the boxes 

 outside in a sheltered place, paying strict attention to watering. 

 Sometimes I transplant to larger boxes, putting the plants two or 

 three inches apart before the final transplanting to the garden. 

 This gives better roots and stronger plants, I think. Still you will 

 succeed with once transplanting if the ground is in good condition, 

 and the weather favorable. Do not transplant to the garden until 

 they have four or five leaves and the roots have reached the bottom 

 of the box. They should have good, rich soil, enriched with well 

 rotted manure. Have the bed deep and the soil friable. They 

 should always have the morning sun ; if they can be protected from 

 the afternoon sun the better. The east side of the house is a 

 good place for pansies. They need frequent stirring in the soil ; a 

 baked surface is death to pansies. In very dry weather give them 

 occasionally a thorough soaking. Unless you make this thorough, 

 reaching to the bottom of the bed, you had better let them alone; a 

 sprinkling will only injure them. Never let them go to seed. Pick 

 all flowers as soon as they commence to fade. The more flowers 

 you pick, the more you will have. The same is true of sweet peas 

 and nearly all other annuals. 



If the housewife can and will devote a short time each day to 

 the cultivation and enjoyment of a few easily managed flowers she 



