Ho For Hepaticas! 



Harry G. Bull 



And now bring in the hepaticas; they are yours for the taking. 

 Do you remember where the prettiest ones grew last season — the 

 pinks and lavenders and blues? Then that's the place to go, now's 

 the time, and the snow is already melcing. Take along your 

 hatchet to chop the frozen ground with, for you'll want a good-sized 

 handful of earth with each plant. 



Look for the largest clusters of last year's leaves, all red and 

 green and brown, and pressed flat by the heavy blanket they have 

 been sleeping under all winter. Then look again, and closer: 

 way down in the middle, cuddled together like 'a small wee furry 

 nest of root-mice," are all the furry buds, asleep. Be sure you get 

 good plants with plenty of buds — the woods are full of them, so its 

 no robbery — and you will have a fuller bowl of blossoms later. 



Take up four or five plants, and don't forget the dirt. Crowd 

 them together in a shallow flower bowl or box. Let the warmth of 

 your home or schoolroom play the part of April air, and a sunny 

 window attract hot Titan's beams; water them once in a while. 



i57 



