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ladies' flower gardener. 



will bloom handsomely ; and no lady will be disappointed of that 

 pleasure, if a compost heap forms one essential, in a hidden cor- 

 ner of the flower garden. If you raise your perennials from 

 seed, sow it in the last week in March in a bed of light earth, in 

 the open ground. Let the bed be in a genial, warm situation, 

 and divide it into small compartments ; a compartment for each 

 sort of seed. 



Sow the seed thin, and rake or break the earth over them finely. 

 Let the larger seed be sown half an inch deep, and the smaller 

 seed a quarter of an inch. Water the beds in dry weather often 

 with a watering pot, not a jug. The rose of the watering pot 

 distributes the water equally among the seedlings ; whereas, 

 water dashed upon them from a jug falls in masses, and forms 

 holes in the light earth, besides prostrating the delicate seedling. 



About the end of May, the seedlings will be fit to remove into 

 another nursery bed, to gain strength till October ; or be planted 

 at once where they are to remain. Put the plants six inches 

 apart, and water them moderately, to settle the earth about their 

 roots. 



But it is rarely required to sow seed for perennial plants,— 

 they multiply so vigorously and quickly of themselves, by offsets ; 

 and cuttings may be made of the flower stalks in May and June 

 in profusion. 



The double Scarlet lychnis, and those plants which rise with 

 firm flower stems, make excellent cuttings, and grow freely when 

 planted in moist weather. Double Rockets, Lychnidea, and many 

 others, succeed well. 



Carnation and pink seedlings must be taken great care of. 

 They will be ready to plant out about the middle of June, and as 

 innumerable varieties spring from sowing seed, they should be 

 planted carefully in a bed by themselves six inches asunder, and 

 they will flower the following year, when you can choose the 



