126 
Rustic A dornments. 
may be, and we hope they are, outward exponents of the content and peace 
that prevail within. Hear what Spenser says :— 
It is the mind that maketh good or ill, 
That maketh wretched, happy, rich, or poor ; 
For some that hath abundance at his will, 
Hath not enough, but wants in greater store ; 
And other, that hath little, asks no more, 
But in that little is both rich and wise ; 
For wisdom is most riches ; fools therefore 
They are which fortune do by vows devise, 
Sith each unto himself his life may fortunize. 
In the management of window-boxes the directions given above for pot 
plants apply with very few exceptions ; they must be prepared with care, in 
the first instance : a layer of broken flower-pots must be put in to ensure 
perfect drainage, and then a bed of light rich soil, such as would be employed 
for growing potted fuchsias, for example. Having had a set of boxes to keep 
furnished at our own windows for many years past, we have found that though 
an annual renewal of the soil is desirable, it is not imperatively necessary. 
We kept our boxes in fine condition for four years in succession without 
changing the whole of the soil, but every time they were replanted we 
removed a little of the top crust, and after planting, filled up with good hot¬ 
bed manure rotted to powder. A succession of plants must be provided, for 
the boxes should be always occupied. Let us sketch out a course in brief. 
For winter, small bright evergreen shrubs, packed close. When they are planted 
pot, in the smallest pots possible, a lot of snowdrops, crocuses, hyacinths, and 
early tulips, but have nothing to do with the narcis, ixia, and other bulbs 
commonly grown in the greenhouse and garden. About the end of February 
take out the evergreens with care and plant them in the garden, or pot them 
and put them in a frame. Then carefully turn the bulbs out of their pots 
and plant them very close together in the boxes, arranging them as to their 
future heights and colours, according to your knowledge of their habits; as a 
rule, placing the hyancinths and tulips along the centre, and the crocuses and 
snowdrops along the front and back. There will be a long succession of flowers, 
for as the snowdrops and crocuses go out of bloom, their leaves will rise and 
form a green groundwork which will enhance the beauty of the hyancinths and 
tulips that follow. By the middle of May all these will be over. If you can 
afford to throw them away, do so, as it is best to plant fresh bulbs purchased 
