294 



eo:me asd flo]yees 



place a tlmmb-pot, open side up, then I 

 place tT\'o pieces of tin or glass one and 

 oue-lialf inches wide between the thnmb- 

 pot and rim of the main pot — one on each 

 side directly opposite each other — and lill 

 the pot np to the brim with a rather still: 

 soil. The scdum is then pricked in quite 

 thickly, and as a rnle grows nicely in 

 heat. "When wanted for covering the soil 

 under a liyac-iiith the tluinib-pot and the 

 small pieces of glass are removed, the 

 pot inverted, and two sections of soil and 

 sednm come ont nndistnrbed, the soil sep- 

 arating at the line of the sheet of glass 

 underneath. Even if one cannot take 

 away qnite an inrli and a half of the soil 

 from the hyaeintli tlie overlapping pieces 

 of the sednm hide any soil. Often one 

 pot of sednm lasts in condition for several 

 successive pots of hyacinths.*" 



i 



HYDRANGEA HEDGE 



A. M. Scoville (Chicago. Illinois), a 

 prominent business man, takes time to 

 say a few good words for 



THE HYDEAXGEA AS A HEDGE PLAXT. 



"I enclose a kodak picture of what I 

 think a beautiful thing in the way of a 

 hedge. It is the hardy hydrangea. It is 

 seldom made use of as a hedge, but it 



certainly makes a better showing in that 

 form than in any other. My hedge is 150 

 feet long, extendhig from the walk on 

 the east line of my lot back to the garden, 

 and when in bloom is a verv attractive 

 sight, all passers-by stopping to gaze and 

 comment. Beyond pruning in the spring 

 and watering freely ni the summer it re- 

 quires hut little attention. I will be glad 

 to answer any questions tliat von or yottr 

 stibseribers may wish to ask in reference 

 to it." 



I can endorse most heartily what ^Ir. 

 Scoville says in the above letter relative 

 to the merits of the shrub and its adapta- 

 bility to the purpose named. 



Mrs. A. M. Browning (Kansas City, 

 Missouri) tells how she succeeded in hav- 

 ing ilowers in spite of difficulties. The 

 woman who really loves flowers will have 

 them, no matter how unfavorable condi- 

 tions may seem to ix\ 



FLOWERS rXDER DIFEICriTIES. 



^^Last year we moved 'on a new place 

 too late to plant flowers. But this spring 

 I decided that I must have a few of my 

 old favorites, thougli the prospect was not 

 very encouraging, with my neighbors' ^. 

 chickens running- at large, and no fence. ^ 

 But getting the grouud spaded up. and 

 -enie leaf mold fllled in from the creek 

 liank near by. I planted some sweet peas, 

 climbing nasturtiuuis. pansies and phlox. 

 I ke]it an ever ^rateliful eye on the much 

 dreaded chielcens. and the flowers grew. 

 The flrst pest tliar ajyu^ired was a swarm 

 of small red ants. In fact, I seemed to 

 have dug into an ants* nest. But a liberal 

 sprinkling oi tobacco-tea finished them. 

 Xext a small green worm like a cabbage- 

 worm came and almost stripped the leaves 

 from the n.asturtiums. But I armed my- 

 self with two sticks, and everv morning 

 looked the vines over and killed all I 

 could find. At last they were sulxlued. 

 At the same time a small green plant louse 

 almost covered mv sweet peas on the un- 

 der side of tlie leaf. Two or three applica- 

 tions of tobacco-tea were sufficient to free 

 the plants from that pest, and when the 

 rain came they began to grow again. 

 Xothing could grow more luxuriantly or 

 bloom more freely than they did.'* 



