ANNUALS 



chickens never would have anything to do with 

 them. As an ornament on the lawn, and cer- 

 tainly for decorative purposes, I prefer the dwarf 

 H. cucumerifolius to any other variety. All va- 

 rieties do best in a rich soil, and require plenty 

 of moisture. The seeds are easy to gather and 

 may be planted in either fall or spring, the fall- 

 sown plants flowering about July 15 th, while 

 those from spring planting do not bloom before 

 August 1st on the island. 



Layia elegans is a hardy annual from Cali- 

 fornia. It is a dwarf plant, scarcely exceeding 

 ten inches in height, and bears profusely, all 

 summer, very attractive single flowers, about an 

 inch and a half in diameter, the lower half being 

 a canary yellow, and the edges margined with 

 white. It is attractive from the prodigality of 

 its bloom, and is easily cultivated, as it grows 

 well in any ordinary garden soil. The seed may 

 be sown in the fall or spring, but I always sow In 

 September, thereby getting bloom from July 12th 

 to frost. There are probably a dozen species or 

 varieties of Layia, but elegans Is said to be the 

 best. 



Nicotiana alata, or N. affinis, is a half-hardy 

 annual which grows to a height of three or four 



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