THE PRACTICAL FLOWER GARDEN 



the aster plants when the buds begin to 

 form, seems to be a preventive for the aster 

 beetle, another of the garden's deadly ene- 

 mies. Slug shot and lime, one pound of each, 

 well mixed, are also efficacious weapons in 

 the fight against this black wretch. 



It would seem as if no possible success 

 with flowers could be worth all the trouble of 

 fertilizing and spraying and careful watching 

 that is necessary; but, believe me, much of 

 the interest hes ia making the experiment 

 and the effort, and if you put up a good fight 

 you generally win out in the end and have 

 the great satisfaction of succeeding. 



The flower gardener cannot become lazy. 

 She must not think that by merely planting 

 zinnias, nasturtiums and poppies, she has 

 done the whole duty of a gardener, but she 

 must be willing to study the soil in order to 

 find out what her plants like to eat; she must 

 learn about insecticides in order to protect 

 her flowers from the hungry creatures wait- 

 ing to destroy them; she must find which 



142 



