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JCXE 14, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



2J5 



The Workroom of the Muir Store, Chicago. 



giving the fullest light in the morning 

 and after 4 p. m. 



If the soil is porous and drained, 

 which it should be, the cyclamens like a 

 good deal of water. A severe drying 

 out is ruin to them, and on all bright 

 mornings a light syringing is of the 

 greatest benefit. 



Attention Not Trouble. 



Speaking of trouble, no real gardener 

 or piantsman will think any amount of 

 attention to his plants any trouble and 

 you will never grow anything to perfec- 

 tion unless your heart is in your charge. 

 You will anticipate the needs of your 

 plants as the faithful doctor does those 

 of his patients. Our business, especially 

 the growing part of it, is not as lucra- 

 tive as manufacturing sausage or head 

 cheese, but it is working close to our 

 Creator's work and brings us closer to 

 the spiritual and unknown than making 

 motor cars or destroying life. Animal 

 life it may be called, but it is life, and 

 perhaps it has a soul as well as we. 



William Scott. 



IT IS TO LAUGH. 



The Philosophy of Gardening. 



These hints from the New York Sun 

 are intended primarily for the amateur 

 suburbanite, but the practical grower 

 may find herein much that will amuse if 

 not instruct him: 



Preliminary Discussion. — Every com- 

 muter 's garden should receive a' proper 

 amoiint of preliminary discussion, be- 

 ginning at full moon and continuing as 

 long as thought desirable. 



"Well, I'm thinking of planting my 

 garden, " is a favorite introduction ; or, 

 " I 'm tired of eating canned spinach. 

 Did I ever tell you of the spinach I 

 grew last year — three feet high and hard 

 boiled eggs all over the top of it?" 



Another accepted method is for the 

 commuter to sit in the smoker and look 

 thoughtful and preoccupied until some- 

 one asks him the subject of his thoughts. 



"Why," replies the thoughtful com- 

 muter, with a pretty candor, "I was 

 just considering my garden. ' ' And pre- 

 liminary discussion tnen ensues. 



Tools and Accessories. — No self-re- 

 specting commuter will dig his garden 

 unless he simultaneously smokes a cigar. 

 This gives him his rightful appearance 

 of dignity as a landowner. A box of 

 good cigars is therefore the first essen- 

 tial accessory. Next in importance 

 comes a large pot of cold cream for 

 blistered hands and a set of surgical in- 

 struments for straightening the spine. 

 Other necessary instruments are men- 

 tioned below. 



Breaking the Sod.— To break the sod 

 it is advisable to have a pickax, a cold 

 chisel, a warm chisel, a crowbar, a sledge 

 hammer, a rock drill and a case of blast- 

 ing powder. Drill a hole, insert the 

 powder, stand in a safe place behind the 

 parn and erupt to suit. The alternative 

 is to hire a man, but he must be watched 

 closely or he will succumb to exhaustion 

 brought on by hard work. 



Harrowing.— The remarks of the 

 neighbors who have no gardens will gen- 

 erally be found to be very harrowing. 



Planting and Cultivating.— We now 

 ponie to the important heading of plant- 



ing and cultivating. To plant, dig a 

 hole, place a seed in the bottom of that 

 hole, sprinkle a few cinders on top and 

 fill the hole with gravel. This makes 

 the plants hardy. Such is the general 

 rule. Modifications follow. 



String Beans. — These should be care- 

 fully strung by hand and the string 

 securely knotted to prevent migratory 

 tendencies which otherwise might be pro- 

 voking. The ends of the string should 

 be loosely looped in a draw knot, the 

 object, of course, being to catch the 

 neighbor's hen by the leg. Chicken and 

 string go well together, but the chickens 

 are not to be gathered in until after 

 dusk and an old coat should also be 

 thrown over its head as a further pre- 

 cautionary measure, and to prevent its 

 alarming the neighborhood. 



Cabbages. — The trunks of the trees 

 should be whitewashed to make them look 

 nice and the fruit should be carefully 

 plucked by hand. Throwing a piece of 

 wood into the tree or jabbing at the 

 cabbages with a long clothes-pole cannot 

 be too severely discountenanced. Sbak 

 ino; the tree is also unprofessional. 

 Neither should the corned beef be 

 forced. 



Scarlet Runners. — -These are too nimble 

 for general, purposes and are kept to 

 frighten children by suddenly running 

 after the;ii. This is also injurious to 

 the plants thoinsolves. Scarlet runner.s 

 siiould, therefore, he securely surrounded 

 by a tight fence and only allowed to 

 walk at a gentle gait in the cool of the 

 evening. This is for exercise. 



Stones and Rocks. — It is unnecessary 

 to plant these, as they groW fortu- 



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