I.] MORE PRACTICE THAN THEORY 3 



the power of taking infinite pains about little things ; 

 and it is certainly true that successful gardening implies 

 the use of almost infinite trouble and care and method 

 about a host of apparently trifling details, the neglect 

 of any one of which may mean failure. 



It is a good rule to exclude rubbish from your 

 garden to be satisfied with no plant, or tree, or seed 

 that you have reason to know is only second or third 

 rate. It is mere waste of time to sow inferior seed of 

 any sort ; the very best degenerates only too soon from 

 causes over which we have no control. 



It is a pity to take up work by fits and starts ; far. 

 better to devote a little time regularly, and it is 

 surprising how each month and season will find its own 

 special business, and how naturally, after a while, we 

 bring ourselves to fall in with the kalendar. 



Another thing of importance is that we should be 

 content with one' or two branches of work that we 

 should aim at being specialists rather than general 

 practitioners, and that our choice should be made to 

 depend upon our circumstances. If, for example, a 

 stovehouse should be found ready to your hand, you 

 will find it a very interesting branch of gardening, 

 though you should never have dreamed of setting up 

 one for yourselves at least for many a day. 



If there is a greenhouse in which the temperature 

 can be regularly kept up to 50 through winter, there 

 are few more attractive corners in a garden than such 

 a place, and you will do well to set to work on that 



