ORNAMENTAL PLANTS. 81 



the ground is naturally wet, it may be advisable to raise 

 the beds slightly above the walks, still they seldom look so 

 well as when nearly or quite even. The practice of rais- 

 ing the beds six to twelve inches above the walks is an 

 imported fashion, which originated in countries where 

 water was more to be feared than drought. It might be 

 beneficial in Holland, but as a general practice it is en- 

 tirely out of place in America. The manner of sowing th'e 

 seeds, whether in rows, clumps, or broadcast, will depend 

 somewhat upon the variety, as well as the taste of the cul- 

 tivators. Groups certainly look more natural than rows, 

 and if these are made up of smaller groups of diiferent 

 colors, it will add very much to the general effect. The 

 low-growing varieties should be placed on the outside, and 

 the tallest in the center. The height of each variety is 

 generally given in the seed catalogue, therefore there is no 

 difficulty in arranging them at the time of sowing the 

 seeds. In sowing the seeds, be careful and not cover them 

 too deeply, as very few will admit of being buried more 

 than a half inch ; a quarter of an inch is sufficient, pro- 

 vided the surface of the soil is kept moist until the plants 

 come up and have produced their second and third set of 

 leaves. If cultivators would attend to their flower-beds, 

 and see that they did not suffer for want of moisture for 

 the first two or three weeks after the seed was sown, there 

 would be far less complaint about the poor quality of seeds. 



VARIETIES. 



There are more than a thousand varieties of Annuals cul- 

 tivated in our gardens, and to attempt a selection — of even 



4* 



