Now, providing tlie bulbs are in mixed borders, after they are out of flower there is no further 

 concern for them but to let them mature and take care of themselves. On the other hand, if they are 

 in conspicuous beds on the lawn, after they are through flowering we must bear with them for awhile, 

 as they will be a Uttle n£glig6. Let them alone, but after the foliage begins to ripen (knoAvn by its 

 fading and decaying) they can be carefully lifted and hid away in some sheltered place to finish 

 ripening, and the beds planted -^Aith whatever may be desirable. This Avill bring us to about the 10th 

 of June ; or the bulbs may remain exactly as they grew, and beds of Coleus, Verbenas — in fact, any 

 plants— may be planted between the bulbs Avithout any disturbance. After a week the foliage of the 

 bulbs can be cleaned off, ^vhen a little top dressing of bone meal or other good fertilizer should be 

 raked in by the hand or other implement. 



These are not all the styles of planting to which bulbs may be applied. One in which a most 

 effective display may be made with Crocus is to plant them in the grass, either indiscriminately or in 

 patterns, about the end of October, by simply digging out little holes with a table knife or other 

 narrow instrument, to the depth of 2^^ to 3 inch^ ; then place a bulb in each hole, cover up, make 

 firm, and all A\'ill be finished. In the very early spring the grass will be studded with flowers for 

 weeks, and when the time comes for the first mo-wing to be done the foliage ^vill be sufficiently ripe to 

 allow of its being cut off without injury to the bulbs. The plantation will be permanent, lasting for 

 years, -with an effective display recurring annually. 



The folloAxing diagram gives a 

 general idea of how deep, and how 

 far apart bulbs should be planted. 



GREENHOUSE SEEDS 



should be sown in pans, jXDts, or 

 shallow boxes, and be kept in the 

 house, carefully watched, slightly 

 watered occasionally, and shelter- 

 ed from the hot sun till strong 

 enough to transplant. Most var- 

 ieties may be sown at any season 

 of the year. 



The smaller seeds of Greenhouse 

 plants are sometimes difficult to 

 germinate, unless great care be taken in the mode of sowing. Hence the supposition is produced 

 that the seed itself is not good, whereas the fault is not in the seed, but in the treatment. Fine seeds 

 of this description should be so^wn in leaf-mould or peat, A\'ith some fine sand added to it ; press firmly 

 do\vn in the seed-pan or pot, and make perfectly level at the top, so that the mould may not afterward 

 sink materially with watering. Sow the seed very thin, and cover very lightly with a little compost, or 

 with silver sand. Success is more certain if a pane of glass is placed over the pan or box till the plants 

 have appeared, when it should be removed. By this method the difficulty of starting fine seeds will be 

 removed. As soon as the young plants have two leaves, they should be transplanted into similar 

 compost in another pan or box. To do this, do not pull them out of the seed-pan, but break up the 

 soil by running a stick or trowel under it, when the plants can be taken out Avith good roots. After 

 transplanting they should be kept in a shady part of the greenhouse for a few days, and watered very- 

 sparingly, until they are somewhat established in the new soil, when they may be removed to 

 the light. 



There are many minute plants from the finer seeds killed by drencliing with water while very 

 young. One Avay to avoid this is to give the Avater by dipping a clothes-brush in Avater, shaking off the 

 greater part of the Avater from the brush, and then (holding the brush over the seed-pan) draAving the 

 hand over the bristles several times, Avhich A\'ill cause the water to be throAAni on the young plants almost 

 like deAV. Some of the vaporizers and atomizers (as used for perfumes) noAV in use are admirably 

 adapted for Avatering tender young plants. In the first stage of their existence, plants require moist- 

 ure in a minute quantity, often repeated, and not in such large quantities as to saturate the soil in 

 Avhich they are groAving. 



j„ 





















r 



















2.«: 









k 



'{. 









1 , 



















/?^ 



Htnc 



<CS 



Sin 



AP.U ' 



3 J 



\ 



&u 



>v 





iESj 





PAB 

























|)j>icpocu 



\\^ 



)— 





3. 



A PA 



.r 











i 



>\ 



d 



^ 



i 









1^ 



DWOROPS 



F 



ILLA 



^ 



5lN 









I 



\^ 



/ 



^ 





/ 



"^ 



\i 



y 



%, 





% 



^.. 







*^CU 



LC«. UMS 







/t 



^> 





f' 





6f 



V .•-- 



-\ 





* 





JON( 



UlLS 



6 m 



AP 



RT 







(a 



f 



V) 



\ 







^ 



■"■ ' 



Ttu 



^PS_ 



5^IN 



■^ 



HT 











\ 



m 



p 



1 







i 





.ia 



— 



-1— . 















" 







J 



?CI5ijU6l2 



m_ 



AP^ 



«T- 

















2. 



w 



III 



ICS 



^ 



apArt 



E 



^ 



'" 



^~ 



d 



c: 













MARY E. MARTIN, 



Jericho Road, 



FLORAL PARK, NEW YORK. 



