STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 59 



and everything else become attractive. Now these beds ma}' be 

 filled in the fall with spring-blooming bulbs that would be out of 

 flower before time to set the coleus, or with pansies set in the fall 

 or early spring. These beds would prove so attractive that there 

 would be less danger of putting out the coleus too early, as is fre- 

 quently done, to the detriment of the bed for the whole summer. 



Not all of the coleus are of equal value as bedders when the beds 

 are to be exposed most of the day to the full ra^s of the sun. The 

 old velvet}^ maroon variety' called beschatfettii, the Spotted Gem, 

 Golden Bedder, Black Prince, Burning Bush and Butterfly are among 

 the best to grow in the full light, and least liable to fade, and will give 

 a sufficient range of color to make a good-sized bed with a variety of 

 plants. Then there are more delicate and brilliantly-marked varieties 

 that must be grown in partial shade to insure success. The large- 

 growing varieties will not do to set in beds with the slower-growing 

 plants, but are fine for rustic baskets and lawn vases. The most 

 satisfactory eSect I have ever been able to get from planting coleus 

 by itself was in a short border made up of a shaded line of four colors, 

 the outside black, the next mai'oon, the third bright mottled and the 

 fourth very light, this so situated that from the house we looked across 

 it lengthwise and the colors blended and produced a ranch finer effect 

 than the same varieties arranged in a circular bed similarly situated. 



To the superficial lover of plants this method of propagation may 

 seem too much trouble, but those who trulj' enjoy plants and their 

 culture will find ample reward for the time and pains spent. Those 

 who ma^' not have a gardener to set and care for the beds and borders 

 essential to the beauty of their grounds can comfort themselves with 

 the knowledge that no plants, however beautiful and perfect, tended 

 by another, can ever possess the interest and charm that comes with 

 the personal acquaintance we must feel for every plant, when our own 

 hands have supplied their wants. 



After the reading of the above essays, a short time, only, re- 

 mained for discussion. Mr. Atherton, Capt. Jordan, Miss Edgecomb, 

 and Rev. Mr. Kimball entertained the audience with some pleasing 

 remarks, and the meeting closed with singing by the Turner Grange 

 Choir. 



