THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
187 
depth of perhaps two inches with moist sand. “ If you 
are going' to turn gardener, my boy, you must learn all 
the secrets of your trade,” she laughed. “ The gera¬ 
niums in the farther window are those I intend for you, 
but I wish to save some slips to bloom in the early win¬ 
ter months. If a stem breaks easily between your fin¬ 
gers—so, it is nice to slip from, but if not brittle, the 
chances are that it will not root.” 
Then Mrs. Dean took from the window two large bot¬ 
tles with wide mouths, which were filled with different 
kinds of coleus. The variegated leaves made a hand¬ 
some bouquet above, while through the water below 
gleamed masses of white, fleshy roots. “ I put these in 
the water three weeks ago,” she said, “ and you can see 
how finely they have rooted. Several of the handsomest 
are for you, and will be a great addition to your bed.” 
Mrs. Dean had accomplished her object: Johnnie was 
thoroughly interested, and anxious to return to his work 
at once. She persuaded him to wait till it should be 
cooler in the afternoon, and meanwhile showed him the 
proper way of arranging the geranium slips in the plate 
of sand, which was then placed in a sunny south window. 
“Now,” she said, “you can arrange a plate precisely 
similar, and I will show you how to root begonias and 
heliotrope.” 
When he brought the plate, his mother handed him some 
choice cuttings of her favorite plants, which she arranged 
in clusters, so that a common tumbler inverted over them 
would cover several slips. This plate was placed beside 
the other. “ And you have only to keep the sand moist,” 
said Mrs. Dean, “ and I can promise you that nearly every 
slip will root. Now we will examine our seeds.” 
The papers were spread out on the table, and Mrs. 
.Dean looked them over carefully. 
“ We will try only those kinds with which you are sure 
of success,” she said. “ We do not wish to make many 
experiments. Here are sweet-peas, nasturtium, mign¬ 
onette and phlox Drummondi. I think these will be 
sufficient, with what plants I have for you.” 
After a long rest, Johnnie returned to his work, and 
soon had the wall completed. His mother then gave him 
an old hoe-handle and some pieces of board, and showed 
him how to nail the strips across one end, so as to make 
a support for vines. This was then set firmly in the cen¬ 
tre of the bed, and small stakes driven at regular inter¬ 
vals in a circle at its foot. Stout twine was then fastened 
securely to the stakes and again at the top of the sup¬ 
port ; and Mrs. Dean declared the day’s work ended. 
The next morning came the important ceremony of 
sowing the seed. In the spaces between the stakes were 
planted sweet-peas and nasturtiums; around these a row 
of coleus was set at regular intervals ; then followed the 
geraniums, thrifty plants which had bloomed through the 
winter, and were now cut back to stimulate new growth. 
Each was protected from the sunshine by an inverted 
flower-pot placed above it. The heliotrope came next; 
then mignonette and phlox Drummondi, sown in alter¬ 
nate patches; lastly, the pansies forming the border. 
Over the stone wall Mrs. Dean draped the white and 
purple tradescantia from her hanging-baskets, the pretty, 
thick-leaved trailing plant which grows with so little care ; 
and then, when Johnnie had sprinkled the bed thoroughly 
with warm, soft water, she told him his work was done 
for the present. 
It was weary waiting; day after day he would run out 
to his garden to see if the seeds had sprouted, but not 
the tiniest bit of green greeted his sight. The leaves on 
the geraniums and coleus, accustomed to the warm air of 
the sitting-room, looked brown and dingy, and were torn 
and tattered in the rough wind; the heliotropes turned 
black and dropped their leaves, and even the pansies 
looked wilted and forlorn. Johnnie went to his mother in 
despair. “ I wish I hadn't tried to make a flower-bed at 
all,” he said ruefully. “ Nothing will grow in it.” 
“Patience, my boy,” said his mother, with a smile, 
“ you must learn to wait as well as work. Don’t go near 
the garden for a few days, and in the meantime here is 
a book about South American flowers, which I think you 
will enjoy reading.” The book was large and full of pic¬ 
tures, and Johnnie became so absorbed in the stories of 
the wonderful Southern blossoms, delicate as butterflies, 
brilliant as tropical birds, that he forgot his trouble. 
A few days later, going out to the garden one bright 
morning, he saw lines of vivid green just breaking through 
the soil, and ran overjoyed to his mother, to tell her the 
news. She pointed out to him also the young and vigor¬ 
ous leaves on the house-plants, and assured him that an¬ 
other week would work wonders in his bed. 
It was not long before another trouble arose: there 
were seeds in the ground which did not require the care 
bestowed upon the others to induce them to grow, and, 
once started, they speedily outran the nobler plants in the 
race skyward. The little florist soon found that no half¬ 
way measures would answer with these intruders; they 
must be exterminated, root and branch, nor could the 
warfare cease for a single day. 
“ It is like learning the multiplication table,” complained 
Johnnie. “ It’s over, and over, and over.” But the same 
spirit which had made him first in his class determined him 
not to be conquered by persistent weeds, even though 
their name might be legion. So the work went on, and 
soon the pretty mound was a mass of fragrant bloom, 
and Johnnie, grown strong and active and brown, de¬ 
lighted his generous heart by sending beautiful bouquets 
from his garden to his friends. 
That year at the county fair he received a prize of two 
dollars for the second best collection of flowers. He 
went to his mother with the money in high glee. 
“Iam very glad,” she said “ but the best plants that 
grew in your garden were not represented in your col¬ 
lection.” 
He looked up in astonishment. “ What can you mean, 
mother? ” he asked ; “ I never skipped a single one.” 
She touched his ruddy cheek with a kiss. “ I mean, 
Johnnie, the health the exercise gave, the patience taught 
by long and tiresome waiting, and the persevering indus¬ 
try which enabled you to overcome all your difficulties. 
These are the plants which will bloom for you, if you are 
faithful in their culture, in greater beauty with every suc¬ 
ceeding year .”—Good Cheer. 
