THE PRACTICAL FLOWER GARDEN 



becomes tiresome, but herbaceous plants and 

 flowering shrubs are great feeders, and, as 

 they must be closely planted to secure good 

 effect, the soil soon becomes exhausted, and 

 the spring feeding and entire remaking of 

 herbaceous borders every three or four years 

 is a necessity if one would have the finest 

 plants. 



Shortly after my first book was published, 

 a somewhat elderly man friend whose mind 

 is delightfully cultivated, whose sole recrea- 

 tion is the study of English literature, and 

 who knows no more about gardening than 

 about the construction of flying-machines, 

 remarked that it was painful to make such a 

 criticism, but it seemed to him somewhat 

 shocking that a nice woman (the nice prob- 

 ably meaning refined) should so often refer 

 to manures. 



Now, as may be imagined, this was far 

 more painful for me to hear than for him to 

 say. Meeting, shortly after, a woman who 

 was an excellent and enthusiastic gardener, 



130 



