32 
dry conditions of New York, while those obtained from the drier 
regions east of the mountains in the same state would meet with 
a more congenial environment here. 
There are plants, of course, more plastic in their nature, and 
such can adapt themselves to a variety of conditions, but these 
are apt to partake of the nature of weeds; simply because they 
can fit themselves to so many different circumstanc Many 
of our most prized plants in cultivation, however, are very exact- 
ing in their requirements, and will only thrive to perfection when 
the environment exactly suits their needs. 
n other words, there is a perpetual struggle going on between 
the forces inherent in the plant itself and the forces surrounding 
the plant, and the continued existence of the plant depends upon 
the establishment of an equilibrium. If any one condition, such 
as temperature, humidity, or exposure, be seriously altered, it is 
necessary to modify some of the other conditions to compensate 
or this in order to reéstablish an pean otherwise the 
plant will survive but a short time. This is the problem that 
the gardener must solve, and upon the ae depends the 
continued existence of the plant. This is a matter of judgment, 
so that a mere laborer cannot be a successful gardener. arden- 
ing is an art and calls for niceties of judgment and discrimination. 
man must feel the requirements of his plants or he cannot bea 
successful gardener, and this state can only come from much 
experience. 
oe plants, if we except alpines and those insistent 
upon a peculiar soil, such as lime-lovers, offer less difficulty than 
others hey will, as a rule, stand greater extremes of temper- 
ature on ees Of course there are plants which will 
thrive only in situations warm and sheltered during the winter, 
and if we would cultivate such plants out of doors, we must 
furnish them these conditions. But the great majority of her- 
baceous plants, if at all suitable to the environment, will succeed 
if a mulch of old manure be given them during the fall. This 
should be an inch, or at most two or three inches, deep, depending 
on circumstances, but it should never be so thick as to cause a 
too early development of the plants in the spring, thus sub- 
