MANURES. 
7 
makes an excellent summer top-dressing for the flower 
borders. 
Insect Pests and Fungoid Diseases — In the hardy 
flower border, amongst insect pests, perhaps the 
tender Aphis or Green Fly and the succulent slug 
are the most common. But there are many others, 
such as caterpillars, grubs, wireworms, earwigs, &c., 
that either injure the roots or devour the leaves and 
flowers, and unless one is constantly on the watch, 
they will soon get the upper hand. Birds are a 
great help in keeping many of them down, but some 
of these are not above suspicion themselves. As a 
remedy against Aphis of all kinds the quassia and soft 
soap solution mentioned on p. 26 will be effective. For 
slugs and snails, a little lime and soot dusted around 
the base about twilight or among the growths of any 
plants attacked will be effective. For wireworms, 
traps are often made with pieces of potato or carrot 
through which a stick is passed to serve as a handle. 
Earwigs may be trapped in the way described at p. 28. 
So far as fungoid diseases are concerned they do 
not as a rule give very much trouble in the hardy 
flower garden. When noticed, the remedy mentioned 
for the Hollyhock fungus at p. 26 may be applied. 
Beautiful Hardy Annuals. — An “ annual ” plant 
— hardy or otherwise — is one that completes its 
cycle of growth in one season — that is from the time 
the seed sprouts until the flowers wither and seeds 
are ripened again. Such being the case, it is obvious 
that annuals must be raised from seeds every year, as 
they cannot be propagated in any other way. As a 
general rule, if the weather is at all favourable, hardy 
