106 DAVET'S PRIMER 



To a competent florist, an educated gardener, or a 

 practical farmer, there are but few things that excite 

 more pity than to see people striving to grow plants 

 and meeting nothing but failure, and nothing will stir 

 his wrath much quicker than to see a person set plants 

 or sow a crop and then let them die of starvation or 

 neglect. 



The photograph shows you a gentleman, Mr. S. C. 

 Walker, of Shields, Pa., who always has what some 

 people call " good luck " with his plants. He is a man 

 of means, but has the good habit of spending his even- 

 ings at home taking care of his plants. His "good 

 luck " comes in this way : 



When he makes a flower-bed he has it dug out two 

 feet deep, and fills in with rich soil and one-fifth of 

 good manure, and every season this is well enriched 

 again, and just as soon as a flower has matured the 

 blooms are cut off; in this way the strength of the 

 plant is kept to work making new blossoms. 



Children, this is a sample of what I have been telling 

 you, that you must feed your plants. It would set you 

 nearly wild with delight to see the health of the 

 geraniums and petunias, and other plants in the 

 "porch-boxes" that you are looking at in this picture. 

 The vines that you see are the German ivy, one of the 

 very best vines to be used for this purpose. However, 

 there is one plant that you must not feed too highly 

 when planted out in a flower-bed, that is the geranium. 

 If you were to put this in rich soil such as is needed 

 for the coleus, canna, or caladium, you would get but 



