100 GARDENING FOB 



straightening out each root and sifting the soil around 

 them, but he would no more stamp down that soil than 

 he would stamp on the soil of his mother's grave. So 

 the plant, in nine cases out of ten, is left loose and 

 wabbling ; the dry air penetrates through the soil to its 

 roots ; the winds shake it ; it shrivels up and fails to 

 grow ; and then come the anathemas on the head of the 

 unfortunate nurseryman, who is charged with selling 

 him dead trees or plants. 



About a month ago I sent a package of a dozen roses 

 by mail to a lady in Savannah. She wrote me a woful 

 story last week, saying that, though the roses had 

 arrived seemingly all right, they had all died but one, 

 and what was very singular, she said, the one that lived 

 was the one that Mr. Jones had stepped on, and which 

 she had thought sure was crushed to death, for Mr. 

 .Jones weighs 200 pounds. Now, though I do not advise 

 any gentleman of 200 pounds putting his brogan on the 

 top of a tender rose plant, as a practice conducive to its 

 health, yet, if Mrs. Jones could have allowed her weighty 

 lord to press the soil against the root of each of her 

 dozen roses, I much doubt if she would now have to 

 mourn their loss. 



It has often been a wonder to many of us, who have 

 been workers in the soil for a generation, how some of 

 the simplest methods of culture have not been practiced 

 until we were nearly done with life's work. 



There are few of us but have had such experience ; 

 personally, I must say that I never pass through a year 

 but I am confounded to find that some operation cannot 

 only be done quicker, but done better, than we have 

 been in the habit of doing it. 



These improvements loom up from various causes, but 

 mainly from suggestions thrown out by our employees in 

 charge of special departments, a system which we do all 

 in our power to encourage. 



