IN THE FRONT YARD. 155 



thing as he represented. Now if a pL^nt like the phlox 

 is to do its best work, it must have the very best chance. 

 Pnt them about two feet apart each way and give them 

 the best of cultivation, and you will have your reward. 

 If you were fitting a lot of choice cattle for the show, 

 rino', you would not feed them on straw and treat them 

 with utter neglect. Your great Holstein must have 

 something besides rotten and mouldy hay if you ex- 

 pect a good flow of milk. So if your flowers are ex- 

 pected to go on dress parade, you must give them some- 

 thing to make their beautiful garments out of. 



It is not wise to send for seeds. People often ask 

 me for them. I refuse. It is hard to separate them 

 from the pods. The better way is to get the plants, 

 if only a few, and raise your own seed. You can have 

 the time of blooming under absolute control from June 

 till November. If you have a large bed, when they 

 are six inches to a foot high, mow off a portion. This 

 retards them, and you can vary this method to fit the 

 time you wisli them to flower. Again, you may have 

 a bed a year old. These, if undisturbed, will bloom 

 early. Then will come the fall planted ones, a little 

 later in blooming. Then those planted in the spring.. 

 Lastly those grown from seed will take the remainder 

 of the season, till the hard frosts of autumn. 



It is well to take up and separate the roots every 

 fall. Under good care they readily double every year, 

 and some plants will give you three or four. Do not 

 plant them in heavy clay lands, for the fibrous roots 



