143 



EVERY W03IAN HER OWN FLOWER GARDENER. 



if tlie leaves wither on the stem, it shows that the cutting had not 

 strength enough to send forth shoots. 



You can train a plant into any shape you please, by pinching off the 

 shoots, for the plant will avenge itself by sending forth two or three 

 more, in lieu of the one you pinched in. A plant pinched in June will 

 flower in July ; if pinched in July, it will flower in August. All buds 

 proceed from the tips, and by pinching in Carnations, Bouvardias, Fuch- 

 sias, etc., their flowers will be put back and they need not be allowed to 

 bloom until autumn. This method of training will produce thick, 

 bushy plants, filled with many small shoots, which, when left unmo- 

 lested, will produce hundreds of buds and flowers. 



To procure a succession of Eoses, prune down to three eyes on all 

 the branches of some bushes, as soon as the buds begin to expand; 

 defer the same operation with others, until the leaves are expanding; on 

 the former bushes the three buds will bear early flowers ; in the latter, 

 they will not begin to expand until the others are in full foliage, and 

 will bloom later in the season. 



Dry, east winds are very injurious to plant life, by absorbing the 

 moisture from the leaves of the plants more quickly than they are able 

 to give it out ; they will often wither the plants as badly as a frost, and 

 should be guarded against in the same way. Cover all your plants with 

 papers, boxes, etc., if they are so unfortunate as to be exposed to it. I 

 have seen an east wind nearly ruin a flourishing bed of Verbenas and 

 Heliotropes in the month of May. If your grass-plat becomes overrun 

 with moss, manure the surface, and the grass will soon catch in and 

 expel the intruder. 



Plants, when in bloom, have all their juices in the most perfect state; 

 therefore cut all aromatic and medicinal herbs just as they begin to send 

 up flowering stalks. 



Profuse flowering exhausts the strength of plants ; therefore remove 

 all seed pods that are not especially desired for seed. Do this to all 

 perennials, and you ivill have much finer blossoms the ensuing season. 



Saving of Seeds. 



Though the gathering of seeds reminds us that the beauty of the 

 flower is gone, it is a pleasing occupation, because it promises us pleasure 

 for another year. As an usual thing it is better to depend upon the 

 seedsmen for your supply, but if you have very fine flowers, choose two 



