30 LITTLE GARDENS 
surface as possible may be exposed to the influence of rain, frost, and 
snow, Then in February or March the soil will crumble when dug 
and a fine tilth will be obtained. It should be dug several times 
before seed sowing or planting. Road scrapings containing plenty of 
road grit, burnt clay, lime and brick rubble are useful materials to 
mix with heavy soil for the purpose of improving its mechanical 
condition, or in other words making it more suitable as a rooting 
medium. It is astonishing how even the most unpromising of heavy 
soils improves after constant digging, if the lumps of clay are well 
broken up as the work proceeds. 
PLANTING 
The Best Time to Plant.—October and November are the 
best months in which to plant. If the soil is poor or light, sandy or 
gravelly, then autumn planting is most advisable ; if the soil is very 
stiff and cold and wet it will be just as well, or probably better, to 
plant in March, for during winter many plants might die. A light 
soil through which water passes freely, naturally keeps drier than a 
heavy retentive soil, and while plants freshly put in might decay in 
the latter during winter, they would not do so in the former. As a 
rule, Roses, trees and shrubs, fruit trees, hardy border plants, and 
spring flowering bulbs are planted in October and November. In 
exceptional cases, as for instance in unusually heavy soil, the plants 
might be planted in March so as to avoid possible losses in the 
winter, but the early flowering bulbs must take their chance. 
Planting Bulbs.— Although spring flowering bulbs are generally 
put in the ground in October and November, they would often give 
finer blooms if planted during September, since they would have so 
much more time in which to root. Naturally the better rooted they 
are before top growth begins the finer chance there is of a successful 
blossoming. Daffodils, Tulips, and other common spring bulbs can 
be bought in July, August, and September. Daffodil exhibitors 
recognise to the full the great value of early planting, and put their 
bulbs in in July and August. This, of course, can only be done 
when a special plot of ground is set apart for their cultivation. If 
the bulbs are put in in December they will bloom in April, but they 
would produce far finer flowers if planted in September. It is very 
necessary that Snowdrops, Crocuses, Squills, and Aconites—to men- 
tion four of the commonest early bulbous plants—should be planted 
in August or early September. 
What to Plant in Spring.—Generally it. may be said that 
spring planting should be practised only for an autumn display, the 
supposition being that plants to bloom in spring and summer are 
put in the ground the previous autumn. Some of the chief things 
to plant in spring are early flowering (August and September) 
Chrysanthemums, Gladioli, * Michaelmas Daisies, Cardinal Lobelia, 
* Japanese Anemone, Montbretias, *Spanish and English Irises, 
Galtonia candicans (bulbous plant with stems 3 feet high, bearing 
