THE GARDEN AT HOME 



seeds should not be sown very thickly, or it will be a 

 matter of difficulty to transplant the seedlings without 

 damaging them. Those sown in the greenhouse may 

 be pricked off into boxes of soil when an inch or two high 

 and planted out of doors in April. Those sown out of 

 doors need only to be transplanted, when 2 inches high 

 to the borders where they are to bloom. 



I shall class Zinnias among homely flowers, despite 

 the fact that they have no scent ; though they may be 

 gathered for the house they look far better in the garden 

 borders. There is something about Zinnias that enrap- 

 tures me. Whether it is that they reward skill in cultiva- 

 tion so royally, or their unique and handsome colour 

 shades make strong appeal, or whether the October mists 

 that form a shroud over less lasting flowers serve but to 

 make the Zinnias last the longer, I do not know ; but I 

 feel that all who have grown Zinnias well will agree with 

 me that they should find a place among the garden's 

 homely flowers. What a world of difference lies be- 

 tween a Zinnia well and badly grown ! The latter has 

 but one lanky stem, bare of leaves and crowned by one 

 frail blossom ; the former is a branched bush, clothed 

 with big leaves, and each branch carrying its own posy 

 of flowers. It is true that the biggest flowers are not 

 always the best, but on a Zinnia I think they are ; at 

 least, they preserve their beauty longer. 



In a lone corner of my home garden I have a tub in 

 which a weekly supply of cow manure (tied up in a 



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