86 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



FLORICULTURE. 

 By Mrs. Alonzo Towle, Freedom, N. H. 



I am very sorry that your wives are not represented here b}' large 

 numbers, to-night. Am gratified that we have a goodly number of 

 brothers. Almost the first quer}' that will greet you at home will 

 be : What have you to tell me? What of your meeting at Augusta? 

 As I cannot speak to them face to face, from necessity I will talk 

 with them by you and your yearly report. The first section^will be 

 a '• special" to farmers' wives, or countrywomen. The second, to 

 all whom it concerns. The most unsatisfactory part of^ flower gar- 

 dening, as we have been accustomed to do it, has been the very 

 short time we have had to enjoy the fruit of our labor, ere the frost 

 has spoiled the beauty of our blossoms. 



Only from about the middle of August u-jtil the last of September 

 can we reckon on their biightness, as we may always be on the 

 lookout for the frosts even at that early time. We have toiled and 

 planned all the spring and early summer to have our pleasure 

 snatched from us unceremoniously. To avoid this disappointment 

 we should plan for flowers all the season around. We can begin in 

 the autumn by preparing our beds. Fertilize them well with well 

 pulverized domestic fertilizer, rake it well into the soil. Fix one 

 bed exclusivel}' for spring blooming bulbs, crocus, tulips, hyacinths, 

 jonquils, snowdrops, etc. If we have not courage to start out with 

 them all, we can begin with a dozen crocuses and the same number 

 of tulips. If we are pleased with these we can enlarge our number 

 and variety the following autumn. Crocuses will cost from ten to 

 twenty cents per dozen. Tulips, by the dozen, from twenty-five 

 cents upward as far as we care to go in fine varieties. Hyacinths 

 range from five cents to thirty-five each. Freesias from thirty to 

 seventy-five cents per dozen. Jonquils from twenty-five to fifty 

 cents by the dozen. These would bloom in May in our climate, 

 unless we should have a very earl}' spring when they might come out 

 in April. Thus we begin the season by having our bulb bed lor 

 May. In June we have roses, of which every farmer's wife should 

 have a plenteous variety. The common, old fashioned sorts are 

 pretty enough for any one, — the White, Blush, Damask, Cinnamon^ 

 Yellow and the climbers. If we have time and wish so to do, there 



