HINTS ON WHAT NOT TO DO 



CHAPTER XXI. 



HINTS ON WHAT NOT TO DO. 



Not many people care to expose their failures, although 

 there are very few indeed who do not meet with them. If 

 they do not they are lucky. A gardener who never experi- 

 ments at all is not much good to the gardening world. 

 Then why should not one make known one's failings to 

 warn others? One need not be ashamed of them. So 

 here let me express a few cautions. 



Don't trust others to do what you can do yourself, unless 

 you have proved them trustworthy. I do not mean that 

 there are no trustworthy young men, for there are men 

 as good now as ever there were; only I sometimes wish 

 there were more of them. 



Don't propagate too early, unless you are thoroughly ex- 

 perienced, or your plants will become drawn and weakly. 



Don't syringe or water any plants after 3 p.m. in the 

 spring months, or when there is any danger of frost. It 

 is better to let them flag a little than do this. 



Don't water a plant in any stage until it is sufficiently 

 dry. The pot will ring or sound hollow when tapped with 

 the knuckles if it be dry. You might be deceived by the 

 tops lopping a bit when the sun and wind are on them after 

 a spell of dull, damp weather. 



Don't kill any hoverer flies, lacewings, or any lady-birds 

 (or their Uarvae, which, of course, turn to lady-birds), for 

 they live entirely upon aphides. The larva is a small lizard- 

 like insect (see " Insect Friends "). 



Don't water any plants or slop any water about the 

 houses after midday when the plants are in bloom if you 

 can possibly avoid it, for the large flowers damp off so 

 easily, especially the dark varieties. 



Don't say you cannot grow chrysanthemums, because, 

 personally, I do not believe that little word " cannot " was 

 invented for gardeners. Say I will grow them, and stick 



