12 THE HOME FLORIST. 



to, but it is not so good for constant daily cutting, being a climber, and hardly available until it 

 has made a growth of from three to six feet, as the vine with leaves attached are too succulent 

 for use, with less than several months' age. Another plant deserving of more general cultiva- 

 tion, and valuable for this purpose, is Lemon Verbena (Aloysia Citriodord), which is of easy 

 culture, and is a favorite wherever its delightful fragrance and delicate form of leaf are known. 



The Soil: Its Preparation and Treatment. It we would be successful in 

 cultivating flowers under any circumstances, it is of the greatest importance that we give our 

 plants a deep, fertile and well drained soil to grow in. That attempts at floriculture may be 

 shrouded in irremediable failures from other causes is possible ; but I freely assert that lack of 

 attention to thoroughly securing these requisites is the direct cause of nearly every failure to 

 produce fine flowers in abundance. This should be understood by beginners. Not a season 

 passes but in July, August and September, flower beds are to be seen which were laid out and 

 planted with much taste and expense perhaps, that contain at this season, only poor, unthrifty, 

 flowerless plants, an eye-sore to the beholder, and a testimonial to the one fact, that the soil was 

 unsuitably prepared for flowers. Few soils are so stubborn that with perfect drainage, either 

 natural or artificial and this if well done once will last a lifetime with being trenched eighteen 

 inches or two feet deep, and annually supplied with a dressing of manure, together with being 

 well tilled, will not produce flowers in abundance. 



Trenching is an operation which consists in working the soil to a great depth, with the 

 use of the spade. It serves to promote the growth of vegetation, by giving to the roots ample 



room for extension ; besides, with retaining moisture 

 the entire depth to which the soil is stirred and 

 broken, it prevents injury to plants in severe drouths, 

 where they might be effected by drying, were the soil 

 only worked to a shallow depth. In ordinary culture 

 the surface soil, only, is overturned or stirred by the 

 plough or spade, leaving the subsoil underneath, 

 which is usually hard and compact, untouched ; but 

 with trenching the operation is conducted to work up 

 the latter as well as the former, keeping each part by 

 Fig. 13. Trenching itself> tne sur f ace so i[ a b ov e and the subsoil, which 



is of a sterile nature underneath. The annexed cut, representing a section of soil to be 

 trenched, shows how this is accomplished. The surface soil shown in section A, to 

 the width of about six feet across the bed, is first thrown out entirely and the subsoil 

 underneath (a) is turned with the spade, moving it only enough to facilitate the work ; a section 

 of surface soil about four feet wide, represented in the cut by B, is next thrown over in the 

 space A, on subsoil a, and the subsoil now turned to light is overturned in like manner as that 

 represented by a was. The soil in section C, to the width of about four feet, is in turn thrown 

 into space B, and the subsoil underneath is overturned. The operation is continued in the 

 same manner across the bed or lot, and the opening remaining at the end after the other 

 side has been reached, can be filled up with the surface soil first thrown out. 



Manure should be applied to flower beds in the fall, after severe frosts have finally cut 

 down the plants, and annual bulbs and tubers are removed. Spread evenly over, the surface, 

 and incorporate well with the soil by spading up thorough and deep. Always have a supply of 

 manure in some corner for such purposes. Those who keep a cow or horse will of course have 

 enough. If you manage to have it six or twelve months old before using, it is best, although 

 some fresher from the stable will answer the purpose. Those who cannot get manure readily 

 should make a compost heap by gathermg up a store of leaves in the fall and leaving them lay 

 until spring, when they should be piled up in alternate layers with a cartload of sods from some 

 meadow or roadside to rot, giving the heap a weekly soaking of soapsuds on washing days. 

 Throw on, during the summer months, rakings and scrapings from the garden, and once in a 

 while add a shovelful of lime, and a barrow load of black earth from the street, and by early 

 winter you will have a mound of rich, black, crumbly loam, of fine fertilizing quality. 



Where hardy plants, shrubs, or Roses that remain in the ground from year to year, are 

 growing in the beds, care should be taken not to cut or spade so near them as to injure the 

 roots at the annual fall spading. These are benefited by receiving a dressing of strawy manure, 

 over their roots, late in the season, which should be raked off again in the spring. In spring 

 the beds are to be worked over again with the spade, or digging-fork. If the manure worked 

 in, in the fall, appears to have been ample, none need now be applied. We take exception, 

 however, to new beds to be planted for the first time ; better give these another moderate dress- 

 ing before spading. In no case do spading in the spring until the soil is dry. Imprudence 'in 

 this respect will cause most land to become rough and cloddy, which cannot be remedied during 

 that season. After nicely raking up the beds, always leaving the middle slightly elevated, you 

 can carry out your plans which should have been perfected before planting time by setting 

 out the hardiest plants first, finishing with the more tender kinds in May. 



Sowing Seeds. Some flower seeds, like those of Candytuft, Convolvulus, Escholtzia, 

 Larkspur, Mignonette, Poppy, Portulaca, Sweet Pea, etc., do better to sow directly where 

 they are to bloom. As soon as the ground becomes warm and friable, say in April and 



