422 
THE DRAINAGE OF GARDENS. 
encouraging the Hollyhock would be to give 
good notice of prizes to be awarded for them, 
and to set forth the points which would be 
especially looked upon as the standard for 
judging, and the first should be thickness of 
petal ; and, perhaps, for the first season or two, 
this one quality might safely be made the only 
one, because all else would follow. In these 
two seasons we would not even stipulate for 
doubleness, because, as the point most 
essential of all, it should be the only one re- 
warded at first ; when that had been attained 
in some degree, there might be prizes for 
flowers with all the points. And this leads us 
to the other necessary qualities. After thick- 
ness of petal, roundness, doubleness, colour, 
fulness, and so forth, may each be considered 
in awarding prizes. The advantage of en- 
couraging this flower must be seen at a glance. 
There is hardly a more elegant ornament at 
the backs of borders, among shrubs, and in 
the centre of clumps ; their towering spikes of 
varied colours, form a splendid addition to 
even the most highly furnished gardens, even 
with all their present faults ; and were the 
flowers rendered more permanent, and in con- 
sequence more brilliant, it would have claims 
which scarcely any other hardy subjects can 
boast. They live through all kinds of 
weather, require no removing two seasons 
out of three, or even more than that; then 
again, they want no stakes, and brave pretty 
nearly all sorts of weather. As a beginning, 
we should recommend the amateur to think of 
nothing, in his selections, but the brightest 
colours, and the thickest petals. From those 
with the thickest petals he should save the 
seed ; sow them pretty much about the time 
that most perennials are sown, June or July; 
and when they are large enough, plant them 
out, one foot apart, in rows two feet from each 
other. Here they must be kept clear from 
weeds, and the earth between them must be 
stirred occasionally. They may be continued 
in this place until they bloom ; or if wanted 
for ornament in the clumps, beds, and borders, 
they may be planted out where they are re- 
quired ; but there will be many to throw away, 
as well as a few to keep. Let nothing induce 
you to keep any that have not some very decided 
points of the many required: thickness of 
petal is one point ; roundness and fulness of 
flower is another ; a new colour is a third ; 
closeness of the flowers to each other is a fourth; 
length and stifihess of the footstalks, so as to 
increase the size of the spike, is a fifth ; and 
unless a flower possess one or two of these 
points, in much greater perfection than we have 
it at present, it ought not to be saved. The 
advantage of blooming the seedlings in the bed 
the first year, is that of being able to throw 
away the worthless ones the instant they open 
a flower, by which means the impregnation of 
the good by the bad is quite prevented ; where- 
as, if they arc planted out for ornament, 
they are not half so easily looked after, and 
even if they prove no better than others, or 
even worse than others, they are allowed to 
stand for ornament, and the whole of the seed 
is thrown back. The Hollyhock will stand for 
years in the same place, but it is proper, when 
you get a good one, to make the most of it by 
increasing it. The best way to do this is to 
part the roots after the plants have done 
blooming ; these parts of the plant should only 
have one heart, as it were, and a bit of root ; 
these should be planted out the same distance 
as seedlings, except so many as are wanted 
for the places the old ones were taken from. 
From this bed, where they are planted to grow 
into strength, they may be taken any time 
during the spring months, before they begin 
to rise for bloom ; but when any one commences 
throwing up the spike, they will not remove 
without receiving a check. It would advance 
this flower much if Mr. Baron would send out 
either seed or plants ; for it would take any- 
body three or four seasons to get up to him, if 
he did not advance a step ; and it would be 
much better for the prospect of the flower im- 
prover, if he started people one, instead of their 
being four or five, seasons behind him. 
G-. G. 
THE DRAINAGE OF GARDENS. 
It is not too much to say that nine-tenths 
of the villa gardens are unfavourable to the 
growth of plants for want of a proper drainage; 
and all directions that may be given for the 
preparation of beds for delicate flowers, how- 
ever fully they may be carried out, will, 
nevertheless, fail, if there be not a complete 
and effective course for the superabundant 
wet to be carried off". Some gardens are what 
may be termed high and dry, — some on 
gravelly or sandy soil, — some' elevated con- 
siderably above the surrounding neighbour- 
hood, yet they may be rendered every way 
unfavourable by springs in the locality, and 
the want of a proper escape for the water. 
If the springs lie high, and the soil is gravelly, 
the wet rises upon the roots, without any rain 
falling, and the chill which it gives is very 
destructive. So that, without almost inquir- 
ing or trying whether a garden require it or 
not, drains should be formed two feet below 
the surface, upon a gradual descent from the 
highest to the lowest part of the ground, and 
there an outlet of some kind must be formed 
for the waste water. Side drains must be made 
of a sort of herring-bone form, going into the 
main drain from the outer edges of the space 
to be drained; and thus all the superfluous 
moisture will be conveyed to the centre water- 
