THIRD WEEK IN AUGUST 



able as an edging ; Blue Duchess produces very large blooms 

 in paler azure ; and Crimson King is one of the best of its 

 kind in this tint. Why we should take the trouble to grow 

 semi-tropical bedding plants while these little gems are ready 

 to brave the hardest winter remains a mystery. Tufted 

 pansies cost but a small sum, blossom nine months out of the 

 twelve, and are equally at home in large or small gardens, 

 so that every one should grow them. But they like a light 

 rich soil, in which there is plenty of leaf-mould and decom- 

 posed manure. The contents of a cucumber frame with 

 some sharp gravel will suit them well as an admixture to 

 ordinary soil, and the surface should be kept loose and open 

 throughout the year. 



We constantly pick off all fading blossoms from these 

 plants, as seed-bearing weakens them and checks their 

 flowering ; and in the early spring, as well as in June, they 

 are given a rich top-dressing mixed with a little soot, for 

 one cannot expect any plant to go on producing such a mass 

 of blossom without these little attentions. 



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