GA RDENING BY M YSELF. j g 3 



crispiness of the evening air tells of frost. 

 Hardy plants that may yet need winter 

 protection, need nothing now. The later 

 they are covered, the better ; for they might 

 as well be frozen as smothered, and smoth- 

 ered they will assuredly be if covered too 

 early. The end of November is time enough 

 for that. 



But make all preparations now, of every 

 kind. Gather the leaves as they fall into 

 some secure corner; pile up your brush 

 near at hand, and prepare soil and pots and 

 labels. Make all your fall sowings in the 

 reserve ground if possible, instead of the 

 regular beds. Most of the seedlings are 

 easily transplanted, and the beds are left 

 free for the late or early digging — late 

 and early, if you can give it — which is so 

 important to the summer display. One of 

 my beds suffered sadly this year in the dry 

 weather, because, being full of bulbs, it had 

 but a slight spring dressing; and so the 

 ground hardened and dried as it never 

 should. For this same reason, it is well, 



