14 NATURE STUDY AND AGRICULTURE 
the open garden. The hotbed is also a convenient place 
to grow a good supply of flower and vegetable plants for 
transplanting in the garden when the weather becomes warm 
enough. Directions for the construction and use of hotbeds 
may be found in any good book on gardening. 
PROJECTS FOR THE HoME GARDEN 
The gardening operations at home should include as many 
of these projects as possible. If more specific directions are 
needed, they may be found in the special works on gardening 
named at the end of this book. Some of those should be on 
the shelves of the school library. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN 
1. Sow seeds early, indoors. — Raise at least five of the annuals to be 
started in boxes as suggested in the first paragraph under “Planting 
Annuals,” page 6. It is a good plan to raise more seedlings than you 
need, and when they are ready to transplant, exchange with other persons 
and thus get a larger variety. 
2. Sweet peas. — Raise a 15-foot row of the finest sweet peas. 
3. Other annuals. — Raise at least five of the annuals suggested in 
paragraph 3, page 7, for seeding in the open ground. 
4. Perennials from seed.— Raise at least five of the perennials as 
explained in the first paragraph under ‘‘Planting Perennials,” page 8. 
It is well to sow a large variety as some of them may fail to come up. 
5. Iris and peony. — Secure-roots of one or both of these flowers from 
friends or dealers. You should have several clumps of each, and it is 
well to have a variety of colors. Plant them in good, rich soil. 
6. Hardy bulbs. — In early autumn secure 20 or 30 tulip bulbs from 
a dealer and as many bulbs as you desire of one or two other flowers of 
this class. Plant the tulip bulbs from three to five inches deep. Smaller 
bulbs are planted two or three inches deep. 
7. Dahlia and gladiolus. — Raise at least half a dozen dahlia and 
one or two dozen gladiolus plants. It will be more instructive and 
probably more interesting to have each of these flowers in several colors. 
