148 1IST OF HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 



little rotten cow manure: in this soil will grow all the plan- 

 named in the accompanying list. 



I shall endeavour now to assist this Suburban Gardener in rend- 

 ering the air which surrounds his plant department more healthful 

 to them. Dr. Hunter observes, that air contains the life of vegeta- 

 bles as well as animals : " it is a compressible elastic fluid." The 

 smoke of populous towns and cities, where coal is the fuel, great- 

 ly lessens it elasticity and fluidity, and consequently renders it 

 incongenial to plants. The practice observed by town gardeners 

 in general is to give an abundance of water to the roots of plants : 

 this should be discontinued, or, at least, given much more 

 sparingly and less frequently : it is by over watering, in such 

 gardens, that plants are as it were, surcharged with crude juices, 

 which the leaves, while they are covered with dust, cannot pass- 

 off. I would, therefore, instead of watering so much to their 

 roots, give frequent syringing over stems and leaves, and keep 

 them as free from dirt as possible. They will then be able to 

 perform their proper functions, perspire during the day, and 

 during the night fill themselves with fresh juices. Cleanliness is 

 as necessary to plants as to animals. The syringing should be 

 performed at the approach of evening in the summer months, and 

 just before sun-rise in early spring and autumn. Keep the moidd 

 in the clump and borders loose, by frequent stiring with a dutch 

 hoe; water with a fine rose any vacant compartment. By this, 

 and the syringing, the air will be rendered more humid. The 

 China Kose may be induced to grow two feet high, by giving it, in 

 addition to the soil I have mentioned, a good supply of rich man- 

 ure, and keeping its leaves clean. The Fuchsias, particularly 

 Fuchsia gracilis, should be kept to one principal stem ; the side 

 should be shortened to an inch of the stem: they then flower 

 more freely. A Suburban Gardener will do well to examine 

 whether his Georginas (Dahlias) are not infested with earwigs : 

 if they are, hang a few lobsters claws on the sticks they are tied 

 to ; in these they may be caught ; if he has a bloom he particularly 

 values, tie loosely tow, dipped in sweet oil, just below the flower 

 bud. 



In the list below, I have confined myself to herbaceous plants, 

 such as are showy, and will with the treatment I have described, 

 not only grow, but thrive in town gardens. 



