FLOWER GARDEN. 
19-' 
growth, sometimes past recovering the whole 
season. The seedlings also should be hardened 
off in like manner; for the cold winds would 
be as fatal to one as the other. About the 
third week it will be pretty safe to plant out 
your first season, which should be one or 
two of a sort, or more, according to the 
number you grow; but no one should trust 
to one planting, which would, at particular 
seasons, fail him altogether. It is proper to 
plant out one or more of a sort once a fort- 
night, until the whole are planted, for then 
they would form different seasons of bloom. 
Seedlings may be planted out a foot apart in 
the row, and two feet between the rows, if 
you have large quantities to gi*ow; eighteen 
inches apart, and three feet between the rows, 
would be much better for the plants; but as 
the shape of a petal decides the fate of 
thousands, before they are fairly open, a foot 
apart will be sufficient when you are driven 
for room. As you have by this time done 
with the old tubers of most of the ordinary 
kinds, they may be cut up into as many pieces 
as will possess eyes, and planted out four 
inches below the surface, or into pots which 
can be continued in heat to push the plants 
forward, and planted out in their season ; but 
as, generally speaking, they will overtake the 
plants from cuttings, and grow rapidly, they, 
or at least some of them, may be the first that 
are put out to bring early flowers. As soon 
as Dahlias intended for blooming are planted 
out, every device for taking the earwigs ought 
to be put in requisition, instead of neglecting 
them until they are coming into flower, be- 
cause all earwigs destroyed at this early period 
are of as much consequence as killing wasps, 
and by the time the Dahlias are beginning to 
flower, this pest will be got under completely, 
though the traps must be continued through 
the bloom. Of the methods in use, the most 
effectual are small pots on the tops of stakes, 
and lengths of bean-stalks laid in and about 
the plants; but these must be examined, not 
only daily, but, if the vermin be at all plentiful, 
twice a day. A boy or man should be kept on 
purpose, where many are grown. In planting 
out Dahlias for blooming in perfection, they 
ought to be six feet distant every way, though 
we have grown them in rows running east 
and west, only four feet apart in the row, 
so that they formed a pretty close hedge, and 
then, instead of shading by other means, we 
merely contrived to get as many promising 
blooms as possible on the shady side, fastening 
them so that they should not be blown about 
by the wind, and also taking off or fastening all 
branches that might otherwise be blown about 
them ; for a leaf touching the flower is enough 
to spoil it. We prefer, when going to plant out, 
to put down a single stake hard and fast into 
the ground for each Dahlia, and digging the 
holes that the Dahlias are to be planted in, 
after all the stakes are fixed. The ground 
should be well dunged, and if it has not been 
so, a good spit of rotted dnng, or leaf-mould, 
should be dug in at every place where a plant 
is to grow, and be mixed up well with the 
mould of the garden. If, however, it is fresh 
ground, such as the turf of a field turned up 
for the purpose, they need no dung ; the only 
danger in such a place is that of grubs, which 
will destroy a whole plantation in a compara- 
tively short time. This, however, is gene- 
rally detected in the turning up of the soil. 
Plant out after the ground is well soaked with 
rain, if possible ; if not, soak the whole space 
well with water at the time you water them 
in. 
Polyanthuses and Primroses, which have 
been bloomed in pots, should be planted out 
in good rich loamy soil, in a shady situation, 
taking the ball of earth from the pot, and 
planting it whole. If you wish to propagate 
them, you must shake out all the earth and 
part the roots, and then plant the pieces out 
with their labels to each sort, so as to know 
them. These must be well watered in, and, if 
there be any danger of sings, draw a drill all 
round the bed,, and fill it with lime ; and if 
you have any reason to believe they are in the 
soil, lay cabbage or lettuce leaves, or bits of 
cabbage and lettuce leaves, between the rows, 
that they may be examined frequently, to 
catch these fatal enemies to Polyanthuses and 
Primroses. 
Heartsease are blooming this month 
rather freely. If any bloom comes finer than 
the rest, mark it for seed. It is better to get 
the seed from a few pods of flowers that have 
been in fair character, than from many indis- 
criminately. If you are cultivating for show, 
do not let a bad bloom remain on : pluck 
them off one after another, without letting 
them grow to their full size; for it will keep 
the plant longer in good flowering ordei*. By 
no means allow any to go to seed unless you 
actually want it ; for every pod that is allowed 
to perfect itself greatly weakens the plant. 
Indeed, it is better not to allow any of the 
collections for show go to seed ; but to plant 
some on purpose, in a place away from all 
others. Plant out struck cuttings, to make 
succession beds, and take off all the short 
side-shoots you require for other cuttings : 
they make better plants than the tops of long 
ones. Throw away at once all those varieties 
which disappoint you in the leading qualities, 
that is, general roundness, thickness and 
smoothness of petal, and clear edgings; those 
also of indefinite, flushing colours are of no use. 
Nor are any of those which have the under 
petals of two different whites, or whites and 
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