jpASHBURN Jl Company's 



In such they grow readily, and attain to great perfection of bloom, with but little care ; but K 

 is hardly necessary to say, that few persons have just such asoil,uor is it possible often for the 

 cultivator to have muchclioice. lie must take such soil as he bas, and make the most of it, 

 and by the application of proper manures, or sand or clay, lie can bring it to such a condition 

 * as to answer all the purposes of a (lower-garden. Moving large masses of soil is very expen- 

 f sivc; and writers who advise the addition of rich loan) seem not to be aware of tl>o difficulty 

 K of procuring it, or the expense and labor attending the same. For the complete garden of the 

 wealthy, this may and should be done; but the mass of cultivators need not fear of obtain- 

 j ing good results without it. Deep and thorough trenching in the autumn, if possible, and 

 " fe the application of very old decayed manure or leaf-mould, will give the amateur a well- 

 J prepared and suitable soil, if "the situation of the garden is low or damp, ffi>t of all it 

 n should be well drained; for, in addition to the injury trom excessive moisture, such soils are 

 r*. cold, and the young plants are injured by early frosts, when they would escape damage in 

 one of tho opposite character: neither should the situation be too dry, as, in thir line, the 

 plants would suffer in summer, and present a meagre in place of a vigorous bloor Where 

 tho soil is too light, a thin layer of clay, if to be had, spread over the surface in tnc autumn, 

 and dug in, after being pulverized by the winter frosts, in the spring, is the best remedy, 

 f This, with the use of old manure, — that which has lain a year or more, and been frequently 

 turned over till it becomes thoroughly decayed, — will keep the garden in good condition. 

 No unvarying rules can be given: much must be left to the judgment of the amateur. He 

 must understand that the soil of a good garden should be deep, well pulverized, friable, and 

 rich; and, if the opposite, to make it as near that as possible. 



When the flower-garden is to bo a speciality, — a piece of ground set apart for that object, 

 and laid out in geometrical order, and all me beds edged with box or thrift, — then more 

 pains ought to be taken; and those who are about to do this, if they have not the requisite 

 information, will consult something more than a catalogue. Our hints are intended lor the 

 mass of the people who love flowers, who have but little leisure, and do not wish to incur 

 great expense in the gratification of their taste. 



Period for Sowing. — This must depend much upon the season as well as the localitv. 

 Our Northern springs are so variable that no definite period can be named. As a gei.eral rule, 

 the proper time to commence sowing is about the middle of April, though a few sorts may be 

 planted as soon as the ground can be got ready; and, for a succession, the sowing should be 

 continued until June. In the Southern States, of course, January, February, or March will be 

 the time to sow, as they correspond with April, May, and June of the North. The Califomian 

 annuals, now so numerous and so ornamental, are very hardy, and should be sown early, as 

 they get well established before the heat of summer. To avoid all danger of injury, tlio sowing 

 may be deferred till the last of April; but, when a little labor is of no consideration, the sow- 

 ing may be made earlier; and, in caso of failure to grow, or subsequent injury from frost or wet, 

 another sowing may be made when the weather is more favorable. Because we recommend 

 April, it is not to bo understood the sowing must be made at that time. The only object is 

 to obtain a vigorous growth and early bloom. If sown in any part of May, they will flower 

 later, but abundantly throughout the latter part of summer. 



Mode of Sowing. — This must be varied according to the style of the garden and the 

 variety to be sown. Many of the most showy and beautiful annuals are very impatient ol 

 removal; and these must be sown where thev are to remain ami Bower. Such are the Lupins, 

 Sweet l'ea, Eschscholtizia, Poppies, &c. Indeed, most of the tap-rooted annuals will not bear 

 transplanting. Other annuals, which may be transplanted, and some of which flower stronger 

 for removal, may either be sown in the places where they are to bloom, or in prepared beds, 

 from whence they are to be transplanted to the flower-garden. In small gardens, undoubt- 

 edly the best way is to sow where they are to remain, thinning out the superfluous plants. 

 This gives the least trouble; but in larger gardens, or where there are beds of early spring 

 bulbs to be filled, the safest and best plan is to sow in well-prepared beds, and, when the 

 young plants are of proper size, to transplant to the flower-garden. 



Never sow seeds when tho ground is very wet, particularly early in the spring. Select a 

 time when the soil is neither wet nor dry. The sowing must be left to the taste of the 

 cultivator, and the extent of surface. If i,iere are vacant beds, the seeds may be *own 

 in rows across the bed; but if in the border, where there are Only limited spaces among tho 

 j perennials or bulb*, they may bo planted in masses or groups, in which mode we think 

 animals produce the greatest effect. Our plan has always been to mark out a circle a foot 

 or more m diameter, and level the ground evenly And nicely with the rake: then, with the 

 back of a trowel, press the surface firmly down ; around the circle make a slight drill of the 

 proper depth, in which the seeds are thinly sown, covering them lightly, and again pressing 

 the earth upon the seeds with the back of the trowel. If the soil should happen to he too 

 wet, or stiff' and adhesive, fill tho drill with some light sandy loam, and make firm " before 

 ordered: 



And here we should remark that great care should be exercised in covering tip . <■». It 

 ;IJ\ is thu great error to cover too deep; and the cause of more than half of the complain i.^ against 

 »j s( seedmen of selling old and worthless seeds comes from inexperience or want uf judgment in Jt» 



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