84: FARM HOMES, IN-DOORS AND OUT-DOORS. 



doubt there may be something of a conflict at the first 

 outbreak in the direction of adornment, and if he is par- 

 ticularly savage, several seasons of struggle may be main- 

 tained before he can be brought to see that flowers and 

 shrubberies are "profitable," that the love and care of 

 them lightens his wife's burdens and brightens her health, 

 that their aromatic presence helps to keep the air puie 

 and wholesome, and that the mere sight of the roses and 

 lilies nodding to each other across the broad, neat walk, 

 adds ten per cent to the value of his home. 



Then do not be discouraged, my home-keeper, if along 

 with your many cares and duties, an offish husband stands 

 in the way of a little flower-culture. Go quietly and very 

 good naturedly to work, and the beautiful things will 

 steal upon him unawares. Or, if you are obliged to call 

 upon him for assistance, be firm and fearless and still 

 good natured and in his secret heart he will admire your 

 growing ambition, though he growls and grumbles with 

 every plunge of his spade, and pokes over your papers of 

 long-named seeds with many a sarcasm. 



Do not make the common mistake of new beginners, 

 which is to sow a great variety of seeds without regard to 

 their tender or hardy qualities, and covering them all 

 alike whether as large as a Castor Bean, or as tiny as a 

 Petunia. Many do this, and expect to have a floral 

 Paradise, when very likely only a few of the seeds will 

 show themselves. A good guide like Mr. Henderson's, 

 of New York, or Mr. Vick's, of Eochester, and many 

 others, will tell what every flower is, and how and when 

 its seeds should be planted. From them and from my 

 own experience, I will condense a few facts that will be 

 helpful to the amateur, and save her from a few expen- 

 sive mistakes. 



A dozen varieties of good annuals, with a few bulbs and 

 shrubs, are quite enough for a handsome beginning. 



A suitable soil is the first thing to be secured. A 



