400 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



epangled banner. Orange and blue may be produced by the 

 esclioltzia and convolvulus minor, the escholtzia forming the out- 

 line of the bed, the convolvulus being planted in the center. 



Mr. Carpenter encouraged the cultivation of flowers, and re- 

 ferred to the dwarf rocket larkspur, as a most beautiful hardy 

 annual, for a spring flower. 



Mr. Pardee again called attention to the everlasting flowers, 

 among which are the Helichrysum, in varieties, and the Acroli- 

 neum Roseum. In the cultivation of flowers, ladies are apt to 

 seek too great a variety, and thus fail to learn their habits and 

 meet their wants. Some flowers such as the balsam and the rose, 

 will bear any amount of enrichment of the soil, while others fail 

 under such treatment. A large proportion of flower gardens fail 

 in consequence of putting in unfermented manure, which is rank 

 poison to flowers. Manure should be used as fine as powder, and 

 the soil should be forked over repeatedly before planting. 



Mr. Adrian Bergen, of Long Island, considered eome of the 

 old fashiond flowers as handsome as any. He had roots in his 

 grounds that had been bearing for fifty years. A flower garden 

 is so attractive that it will be observed by every traveler, and 

 make even a humble cottage an attractive home. 



Mr. Robinson stated that the mignonette furnishes a better 

 bee pasture than a'ny other cultivated plant. It is superior to" 

 buckwheat, because it produces a better flavored hone}^ 



MANURES AND THEIR APPLICATION. 



Mr. Fuller read the following paper upon this subject: 

 Mr. Quinn, at our last meeting, said that it did not depend so 

 much upon the quantity of manure applied to the soil, as it did 

 upon its quality and divisibility. He is correct, and if we would 

 pay more attention to.distributing manure through the soil so 

 that a portion of it would reach every rootlet of the plant, we 

 might produce better crops with a much less quantity of manure. 

 It is this that gives liquid manure its great value over other 

 manures, for it is in a form to reach every portion of the roots. 

 But liquid manure is not the best in all cases, neither is its ap- 

 plication practicable or economical under all circumstances. If 

 all of our soils were porous and dry, and we could have the ap- 

 paratus necessary for applying it at the proper time, (and that 

 would be when the plants were growing the most rapidly,) then 

 without doubt the best mode of applying manure would be in a 



