12 GA RDENING BY M YSELF. 



of my tulips and hyacinths is torn and rag- 

 ged at the edges, with a clear hole in spots. 

 They must have a new spread of leaves, 

 without waiting for the snow blanket which 

 may not come. 



In-doors there is not much plant work 

 either. A few bulbs are pushing up their 

 shoots, and so are candidates for water and 

 warmth ; but while I was away, they were 

 all left in a room which grew dangerously 

 cold for anything but bulbs, and of course 

 they made slow progress. I should except 

 my double Roman P. narcissus, which ran 

 up and up as if it were trying to reach the 

 sun that wa}^ It is coming into bloom now, 

 just opening out; but ran itself too much 

 out of breath to recover fairly. 



Other plants crowd together on stands 

 and tables or wherever they can get a place, 

 waiting wearily for the spring. There are 

 my seedling geraniums, a dozen or more, — 

 with my especial variegated pet ; and abu- 

 tilon mesopotamicum, given by one friend, 

 and a pretty Httle nameless green vine from 



