VENTURA-BY-THE-SEA, CALIFORNIA. 29 



POT POURRI LA FRANCE. 



This delightful pot pourri for rose jars, is composed principally of the petals of 

 that sweetest of all roses, the La France, to which is added delicious spices and 

 odors, making a compound that rivals in fragrance the "perfumes of Arabia." If 

 the rose jar is open for a few moments the room will be filled with its delightful 

 odor. At other times the jar should be kept tightly closed. Per oz 50c. 



SETTING OUT PLANTS. 



Great care should be exercised in setting out plants. Many choice things are 

 lost by not being planted firmly in the ground. Never set out a plant when the 

 soil is too wet or it will pack; it should be mellow and crumbly. The roots of 

 plants should be spread carefully, if without soil ; if balled, they should be 

 loosened a little around the ball to induce them to grow outward. After pulveris- 

 ing the soil around the plant, press it firmly with the foot, after which water 

 thoroughly and deep. When the water has settled, cover with dry soil. Watch 

 the plant carefully until well established, and see that the soil does not become 

 porous through evaporation and the air dries up the roots. Small plants should 

 be shaded carefully till established. 



When plants from pots are set in the ground, the outer roots should be loosened 

 to grow into the new soil, which, if packed against a ball of matted roots, will 

 prevent growth and cause the plant to die slowly. 



SURPASSINGLY BEAUTIFUL DAHLIAS. 



Baltimore, Md., January 13, 1900. 



I have never had more pleasure in growing plants than I had with 



those from your seed. The dahlias raised were magnificent. I certainly never 

 bought any dahlia roots that could compare with them. Monarch was superb and 

 grew to an immense height for such a plant, while the others were vivid and 

 bloomed until hard frost. They were especially fine last season and were admired 

 by those who saw them. Other seeds were satisfactory, but I must repeat that 

 the dahlias surpassed anything that I have ever had. 



MRS. JAMES WILSON. 



MRS. SHEPHERDS GRAND NEW TREE BEGONIAS 



Brilliant Leaves and (Magnificent Flowers. 



Words are inadquate to describe the beauty of these splendid begonias as they 

 appear in my lathhouses and greenhouses. 



They are of the Otto Hecker and Pres. Carnot type, but greatly superior in 

 every way. All have large oblong leaves and immense panicles of very large 

 flowers in shades of pink and red. They are tree -like, strong and robust, send- 

 ing up a great number of canes to the height of 6 or 8 feet. The foliage is a yel- 

 lowish or bronze-green, exquisitely beautiful in texture, and has a shining silken 

 lustre. The difference between the various plants consists in size and shape of 

 leaves, and the brilliont colors with which they are, at various times, tinged or il- 

 luminated; they change in the different stages of growth. The shades of color are 

 bronze red, terra cotta, old rose, delicate pink, wine color, copper, yellow-feath- 

 ered green, and other blendings indescribable. The underside of the leaves is a 

 rich wine color, claret, terra cotta, and in some varieties they are charmingly 

 flushed with these lovely colors. The leaves measure frequently 15 inches in 

 length, by 7 1 ?, across. The young foliage is spotted with silver. 



Afterglow. A perfectly lovely variety with very large leaves, that in their 

 changes remind one of the glowing tints of the sky after sundown. It is a very 

 vigorous grower, and bears a profusion of flowers in immense clusters; the pistil - 

 ate flowers have scarlet ovaries and shaded rose colored petals; the leaves are at 

 times dotted with silver spots. Plants from 2 X 2 inch pots. Each 35e. 



