84 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



west. An ideal site would be an area of sufficient size to 

 accommodate the number of plants to be grown and en- 

 closed with a hedge of yew or holly some 6 feet high. 

 The majority of cultivators have to be satisfied with a site 

 falling short of the ideal, and it is therefore gratifying to 

 know that artificial shelter from the winds may be provided 

 at a small cost. A single line of Lombardy poplars planted 

 2 feet apart and cut back to within 6 feet of the ground will 

 form a really good screen the first year, and the trees can be 

 kept to the dimensions of a hedge about 7 feet high for an 

 indefinite period. Trees about 8 feet high and well furnished 

 with side growths near the base are the best for the purpose 

 in question. The provision of shelter is not, however, likely 

 to occasion any great difficulty, because the majority of 

 gardens are bounded by hedges, close fences, or walls, and 

 the owners of gardens who are filled with a desire to take 

 a prominent position at exhibitions of these flowers will not 

 be slow to take advantage of such favourable positions as 

 their gardens afford. 



PREPARATION OF THE SOIL 



Deep cultivation should be regarded as not less essential 

 to success in the production of exhibition blooms than the 

 liberal enrichment of the soil with manure. The proper 

 time for commencing the preparation of the ground de- 

 pends to some extent on its character, a point that is 

 frequently overlooked, as evidenced by the zeal with which 

 this and that season is recommended without any reserva- 

 tion. Heavy soils are more slowly acted upon by atmos- 

 pheric agencies than are those which are lighter in texture, 



