ii6 THE SMALL COUNTRY PLACE 



flower garden, but are much more beautiful in beds 

 upon the lawn with a background of green. The soil 

 should be made rich, deep and mellow, and the bulbs 

 planted as early in the fall as they can be obtained. 

 If the bulbs are to be transplanted from one's own gar- 

 den they should be dug as soon as the leaves have turned 

 yellow and be kept in a cool, dry place until September 

 or October, when they should be set from four to six 

 inches deep. For the best effect hyacinths should be 

 planted from eight to ten inches apart, tulips and nar- 

 cissus six to eight inches, and crocuses four to six 

 inches, but may be planted further apart with good re- 

 sults. At the North, where the ground freezes deeply, 

 the beds should be covered with from six to ten inches 

 of coarse stable manure before freezing weather sets in, 

 thus furnishing protection to the bulbs and enrichment 

 of the soil. Before growth begins in the spring, the 

 coarse part of this covering must be removed, or the 

 flowers may not be able to force their, way through, 

 while the finer portion is left on the surface to decay. 



Window and Veranda Boxes. 



While window boxes are more especially adapted to 

 city and village homes, yet as a portion of the family 

 even in the country spends a large part of the time in- 

 doors, these boxes will be enjoyed by them, especially 

 when the family gather upon the veranda in the even- 

 ing. The box should be made of good size, with holes 

 in the bottom for drainage, and filled first with a layer 

 of small stones, in broken pots, and then with rich soil 

 made of about one-third decayed turf, one-third well 

 rotted stable manure, and one-third sand. If in a very 

 dry place a portion of the sand may be left out. Vines 

 to run upward or droop over the box and blooming or 

 foliage plants in the middle will produce beautiful results. 



