SLUGS. 



SMALL GARDENS. 



the side roots which are taken off from the 

 old roots in spring before these have begun 

 to grow, or by seeds. Skirret requires a 

 light rich soil, and should be planted, or 



ROOTS OF SKIRRET. 



the seed sown, as the case may be, in drills 

 or rows, from 12 to 15 inches apart and 

 from 6 to 9 inches in the rows. The roots 

 should be lifted and stored at the end of 

 September or beginning of October. 



Slugs. 



Of slugs there are several varieties, but 

 the most destructive in gardens are the 

 small white and small black slugs, which 

 bury themselves in the ground or under 

 leaves, and come out in the night-time to 

 feed. To destroy these, take fresh lime in 

 a powdered state, put it into a coarse bag, 

 and after nightfall or before sunrise, dust 

 the ground where slugs are about : every 

 slug touched with the smallest particle of 

 the lime will die at once. If the weather 

 be wet, the power of the lime will soon 

 be destroyed : but if the ground be strewed 

 in the evening with fresh cabbage-leaves, 

 the slugs will hide under these, and may 

 be destroyed in the morning. 



Small Gardens, Arrangement 

 of Flowers in. 



Arranging flowers in small gardens 



being a matter of taste, must be left to the 

 proprietor. It is only possible to give 

 general directions for his guidance. In 

 planting beds with half-hardy plants, 

 which is generally done at the end of 

 May, the plants should be ready to start 

 into flower. Much time is lost by using 

 small and late-struck plants. The best 

 effect is produced by massing, every bed 

 being planted with one distinct class viz., 

 one with verbenas, another with geraniums 

 and these, again, arranged according to 

 their various colours, either in groups or 

 ribbons, with due regard to height. 



Ageratums grow still taller, and some are varie- 

 gated : all these, and many others of a like 

 nature, may be raised from cuttings in heat, 

 in February and March, and hardened off ii 

 frames before planting ; or they may be struck 

 from cuttings in July and August, and wintered 

 in a greenhouse, pit, or even in a window, it 

 being merely necessary to guard against frost 

 and damp. 



SKIRRET, SHOWING HABIT OF PLANT. 



Calceolarias embrace all shades of yellow and 

 orange- some are very dwarf, as aurea JJori- 

 bunda ; others are taller, but rarely exceed 18 

 inches in one season. 



Cupheas grow about 8 or 10 inches high. 



