BY WAY OF 



tightly that it will cut into the branch. As the 

 branch grows the wire will shut off the circulation 

 of the plant's life-blood through that branch, and 

 the result will be disastrous to that portion of 

 the plant. 



Different varieties of perennials ought to be 

 kept track of quite as much as in the case of 

 shrubs. As the old stalks die away and are cut 

 off each season, there is no part of the plant to 

 which a label can be attached with any perma- 

 nence. There are iron sockets on the market into 

 which the piece of wood bearing the name of the 

 variety can be inserted. An all-wool label would 

 speedily decay in contact with the soil. 



***** 



Sometimes we get very amusing letters from 

 parties " in search of information." Not long 

 ago a woman sent me a leaf from her Boston 

 Fern, calling my attention to the " bugs " on the 

 lower side of it, and asking how she could get rid 

 of them. How did I suppose they contrived to 

 arrange themselves with such regularity? A 

 little careful investigation would have shown her 

 that the rows of " bugs " were seed-spores. If 



