4^ 



HOW rO DFSTBOY IXSECTS, 



of raising gooseberries, or rather on the difficnltr of 

 doing so satisfactorily, the berries proving so verr far 

 inferior. l)oth in size, quality, and flavor, to those raised 

 by our neighbors across the mill-pond. Mv friend's 

 theory was this : • That the hot sun shining on the 

 bushes, while still both leaves and fruit are dripping 

 with devr, causes all the mischief; if, therefore, you 

 want no mildew,' said ht^, ^ plant where there is shade 

 fi-om the morning sun, so that the dew may dry gradu- 

 ally from the heat of the atmosphere : manure the soil 

 fi-eely : water, it dry weather, at the roots only, and you 

 will find yonr gooseberries^ after a year or two, will 

 astonish you and all your neighbors.' 



" Xow, thought Ic if tliis treatment be so good for the 

 gooseberry, why not for the verl)ena ? It will, at auy 

 rate, do no harui to try. So once more I sent for ver- 

 benas for a bed which was shaded from the east by a 

 ten'ace : once again I planted my favorites, watered, 

 watched, ami waited. I ^\ish some of the readers of 

 the Cabinet could have seen that bed about the end of 

 the July following ; it was a perfect blaze of glory. Xo 

 wilted, sickly plants ; no black rust I Nothing in the 

 whole garden could compare with it : even passers-by 

 were attracted, and stopped to admire its brilliaucy, 

 little thinking how long and how hard its o^vner had 

 toiled ere she succeeded in makiag those healthy, stroug- 

 looldng ilowers annual visitors 'to her garden, where 

 they are now such welcome guests. Ala." 



