DIELVTRA. 



149 



DIGGING. 



I 



other ; indeed, the handle of an old spade 

 is one of the best and most handy thing 

 possible for conversion into a dibble. The 

 pointed end is thrust into the earth to a 

 sufficient depth, and the root of the plant, 

 whatever it may be, is thrust into the hole, 

 and the earth brought round it by two or 

 three thrusts of the dibble into the soil at 

 a short distance from the plant 

 itself. When it is desired to 

 make holes of a certain depth, 

 or to make a number of holes 

 of uniform depth, an iron 

 socket should be made, with 

 a projecting piece on one side 

 and divided on the other, with 

 a plate on each side of the 

 division, which may be tight- 

 ened or loosened by the action 

 of a thumb-screw, so as to 

 admit of the socket being 

 easily shifted up and down 

 the stem of the dibble, or 

 being held immovable in position, as 

 may be found requisite. This is the 

 principle of the potato dibble, which, how- 

 ever, is longer, and in which the project- 

 ing piece at the side is fixed at a certain 

 distance from the point. There are other 

 forms of dibbles, but this is the most com- 

 mon, the most useful, and generally pre- 

 ferred by gardeners. 



Dielytra (/. ord. Fumariacese). 



The name of a genus of hardy herbaceous 

 plants, by which one member is so well 

 known to gardeners generally that it is 

 better, perhaps, to describe it here under 

 the appellation it has gained by long usage 

 than to place it under its true name Dicentra, 

 under which few, if any, would look for it. 

 The best known of the family is Dielytra 

 spectabilis, a very handsome plant both in 

 habit and foliage as well as in flowers, 

 which are of a peculiar wing-like shape, 

 growing in long racemes. There are two 



varieties of this plant, one with rosy pink 

 blossoms, and the other with white. 

 Although hardy, it is safer to winter it 

 in a cold frame. It is often forced in late 

 winter for the adornment of the conserva- 

 tory in early spring. It likes a light rich 



soil, and is increased by parting the roots 

 in spring. If forced, it must not be sub- 

 jected to a higher temperature than 50 

 degrees. It should be freely watered when 

 growing and on coming into bloom. 



Digging. 



This is done with the spade ot fork, 

 the latter implement being far more 

 effectual and easier to use in breaking up 

 and loosening stiff soil. In digging with 

 the fork, however, little can be done beyond 

 breaking and turning over the ground and 

 reducing the clods thus turned up. In dig- 

 ging with the spade, the soil can be trans- 

 ferred more readily from one position to 

 another. In digging over a piece of 

 ground the first thing to be done is to 

 take out a trench about a spade deep 

 and a spade wide, or, in other words, 

 about 12 inches in depth and the same 

 in width. The soil from this trench 

 should be removed to the other end of 

 the gro. nd to be dug over for a purpose 



