STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 63 



FLORICULTURE. 



By Mrs. Georgia A. Tobey. 



To make the cultivation of flowers a success, three things are 

 necessary : Sunshine, water and a love for our work. If we 

 love flowers and are interested in them, we are, under ordinary 

 circumstances, sure of success. So let us select a spot where 

 sunshine is not wanting, and the other elements can be supplied. 

 After carefully spading, rake ofl^ all the hard lumps, stones and 

 roots, then put on two or three inches of well rotted, rich com- 

 post and enough good earth to raise about three inches above 

 the surface of the lawn to insure good drainage. Plenty of 

 compost will give a sandy soil, greater consistency, and at the 

 same time render a clayey soil more open and porous ; in the latter 

 case it is better to dig in sharp sand so as to render the soil 

 lighter and more friable at once without having to wait for the 

 slow action of the compost. If annuals or tender plants are 

 grown in the bed it should be cleared off after the frost has killed 

 the plants and a two inch coat of stra_wy stable litter dug in as 

 it will have all winter to decay. Follow this with a coat of well 

 rotted compost in the spring and the bed will be in the finest 

 possible condition. It is possible to make a bed too rich but with 

 the exception of burning from the compost not well rotted this 

 seldom occurs. You can easily tell when the bed is too rich by 

 the strong rank growth of the plants, without a proportionate 

 amount of bloom. In such a case withhold enriching for a sea- 

 son. In cloudy, damp weather the plants will grow excessively ; 

 for this reason the bed should be raised above the surface as 

 described, for it is much easier to supply a deficiency of moisture 

 than to reduce an over supply in a rainy season. In planting 

 a bed of spring flowering bulbs, such as tulips, crocus, daft'o- 

 dills, iris, etc.. in the fall do not dig any compost into the soil 

 unless it is poor but after freezing put on a three inch coat of 

 strawy stable litter as by this time the strength will be filtered 

 into the soil. Do not plant a bed when it is dry — the best time 

 is when freshly dug. If this is not convenient, water well in 

 the morning and transplant your seedlings in the evening, and 

 water well, or what is better, there are usually cloudy days just 

 suitable for transplanting. The hardy annual such as asters. 



