40 ORNAMENTAL GARDENING 



lie about into the hole, they will never come up. It is a good plan 

 to step on the mound and press it down well. 



Another weed nuisance is the smut grass (Sporobolus indicus) 

 a, wanderer from India which has become completely naturalized 

 in the Southern States as well as over many of the warmer parts 

 of the world. It is generally found along roads and paths or 

 much trodden places where it soon occupies the ground to the 

 exclusion of almost everything else. It seems to have a wonderful 

 capacity to scatter its seeds for they constantly come up in the 

 most unexpected places. I know of no way of eradicating it 

 except by pulling or hoeing it up and burying it with all its 

 seeds a couple of inches deep. I have been able by constant 

 vigilance to keep my grounds reasonably clear of all of these by 

 the above means but fresh seeds are constantly being brought 

 in from other places. Cyperus, or Nut Grass, is a terrible weed 

 which takes complete possession of ground when once it is es- 

 tablished. It is said that hogs will clean it out or it may be 

 destroyed by constant hoeing. 



It sometimes happens that a plant which is put into the open 

 ground absolutely refuses to grow for a series of years, though it 

 may seem to be in perfect health; or that it refuses to blossom. 

 In such cases it is best to be patient and, instead of digging it 

 up and throwing it away, let it remain and assume that you can 

 wait as long as it can. Give it careful culture and a little fertil- 

 izer during the growing season; a small quantity of stable or 

 liquid manure may be good, and it is probable that in time you 

 can overcome its balky disposition and be rewarded with growth 

 and bloom. Again small plants sometimes actually deteriorate, 

 they grow smaller and smaller. This may be caused by dry or 

 cold weather, insect ravages or unsuitable soil and conditions. 

 In some such cases I have carefully lifted the plants and put 

 them back into pots in the slat house. In fact I have several 

 plants that have been put out and taken up a number of times, 

 and at last are doing well. 



It seems necessary sometimes to use diplomacy, if I may use 

 such an expression, when handling these delicate, sensitive 

 things. We are wholly unacquainted with their native habitats 

 in very many instances and must grope about blindly in our 



