MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 107 
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_ Phlox Drummondii.—Admired by all. Makes a fine show set in masses; 
plant about eight inches apart. If not allowed to seed will bloom all summer. 
Scabiosa.—Rather coarse, but lasting a long time. ' 
\ 
Zinnia.— With plenty of room this makes a show; good fora hedge. The . 
flowers lasting about forever; well, I have known them to look fresh and 
new for three months. The three-cornered shriveled seeds produce double 
flowers; the large flat ones, single. 
I have given the names of only a few of the hardy kinds of Annuals. The 
tollowing are sown in a hot-bed and transplanted : 
Asters.—The new varieties are superb. The plants are as easily tpaliae 
planted as a cabbage. ‘ 
Balsams.—These need some care in removing; are fine fora Othe ds I 
make the soil very rich; spading in strong manure; they are gross feeders. 
When coming into bloom, water once or twice with liquid barn-yard manure 
(during a rain) and the bloom is superb. Trim according to directions given 
by Vick. 
Celosia.—I do not admire these much, but always grow a few; the combs 
are immense. \ > mutt 
Petunia.—The blotched and striped varieties are without a rival. Their 
free-flowering. and gorgeous display makes them indispensable. Of these 
I never save seed; a twenty-five cent packet is enough for three years, and 
I have no time to waste cultivating inferior kinds of any flower, so always 
get the best. 
Datura Wrightii.—A strong, rather coarse plant, and wants about ‘“‘ all out- 
doors” to spread itself in. The flowers are immense, delicate color, white 
shaded with purple, and have a sweet fragrance which florists make a fuss over, 
but say nothing about the horrid odor of the leaves. They scorn to call them © 
se Jimpsons,” but, if not sisters they are first cousins, anyway. However, I 
always have a few plants, as I like even Ohio weeds. 
Verbenas.—These are a specialty with me. Have grown them from 
florist’s plants and from seed, and prefer the latter; I get the best seed and 
never have a failure. - Last summer [ had a brilliant show on a bed freshly 
dug out of the sod; this was done as early as the frost allowed. April 25th 
I sowed the seeds in a hot bed, and every seed came up. When they were 
nearly large enough to transplant, I dug up the bed, over which the suds from 
the wash had been thrown for weeks. Inafew days after I wheeled well rotted 
chip dirt, manure from an old hot bed, fresh prairie soil (taken from the 
winter’s banking around the house and exposed to the action of the frost all , 
winter,) aud some lake sand, spread it over the bed, re-dug and raked it 
smoothly, then sprinkled over the surface four large shovelfulls of sand. In 
the evening, of May 26th there was a warm rain, sol set out the plants— 
previously hardened off by being uncovered at night—shaded them from the 
sun for a few days, and they grew on as if they had never been moved. I 
never saw such growth, such depth of green, such trusses, such brilliant, gor- 
geous bloom, so many colors,—bright scarlets with large white and yellow 
eyes, intense crimsons, maroons, creamy fragrant whites, pinks, reds, regal 
velvety purples to blues of all shades, spicy as pinks, striped, in short, every 
color I ever saw in verbenas. One morning they were carefully counted— 
five hundred and twenty-four full blown trusses on twenty-four plants. 
The raising of annuals from seed fully repays for all the labor bestowed. 
One dollar judiciously invested in seeds with ordinary care will give more 
