154 FAMILIAE GARDEN TLOWEkS. 



may be jjut in at any time that may be convenient, bnt 

 the spring and the autumn are the best times to plant, a 

 supply of: the finest named varieties in pots having pre- 

 viously been secured. When first piit in the ground a 

 sharp look-out must be kept to protect the plants from slugs 

 and wood-lice, but when the plants have begun to 

 grow freely in the open ground these marauders will not 

 care much about them. As the spring advances the flower 

 stems will rise, and you will have to determine whether to 

 support them or not. A neat way of supporting them is 

 to drive in three stakes and pass strips of bast loosely 

 round to form a kind of open cylinder. This must be 

 neatly done, so as to be scarcely visible, leaving the 

 growth somewhat free. We have a large collection, com- 

 prising all the named varieties, and we never give support 

 to any, but let them fall about as they please. This plan 

 answers well when the weather is fine, and the display is 

 delightful. But bad weather makes a difference, and then, 

 we must own, the plants that are properly supported fare 

 the best. In some gardens pyrethrums die out in three or 

 four years ; in others they appear to defy time and death, 

 and last any length of time. It is a good practice, how- 

 ever, to take them up every third year, and deeply dig and 

 manure the soil ; then divide, and replant. A still better 

 practice would be to plant in fresh soil altogether; for 

 continuous occupation of the same spot, even if periodically 

 dug and manured, tends to deterioration. 



The best time of year for lifting and dividing is 

 August or September, and it will be prudent to pot a few 

 small pieces of all the best varieties, and keep these potted 

 plants in a frame during the winter, to plant out in spring. 

 It is just possible that a severe winter may kill a few 



