THE LADIES' FLOEAL CABINET 
163 
■ nestries 3 that there was nothing to me more beautiful tl^ 
Ills display; neither was there. No beds of omamental- 
leaved plants could compare with his Petumas, no Gera¬ 
niums were ever planted that could equal his Poppies, 
his Phlox were in rows, in separate colors, fai- more 
showy than any ribbon-border. Under a south fence 
was a bed of Pansies, nearly 500 feet long and about 
tlu'ee in width, a mass of exquisite bloom ; Balsams iu 
rows lilre an army with banners; Zinnias, of such size 
.and color that are rarely met; every fence and partly 
dead tree was festooned with Cypress Vine and Mormng 
•Glories. 
Our friends were amazed at the display, and, no doubt 
thought “what a pity so much money should be spent 
■in tills way.” But imagine their astonishment when we 
gave them the owner’s statement, given to me in a 
whisper: “My whole outlay for seeds when I com¬ 
menced, two years ago, was just one dollar. But my 
neighbors would not have such a display if it could be 
obtained without money or labor: their inner life is not 
.sustained by the beautiful and good, the fruits of my 
flowers.” What investment ever paid such dividends? 
Summers of true happiness, seasoned with heai-t-felt 
thankfulness to Him who has clothed the earth as with 
emerald, inlaid with flowers, for the pleasure and happi¬ 
ness of His children. 
None of out friends need be without flowers because 
of their expense; for the seeds wo send to each subr 
scriber, if properly cared for, will make as great a dis¬ 
play, and yield as large a crop of true joy and happiness 
as our good friend has in his five acres. 
In our plea for annuals, we do not, by any means, 
wish to ignore bedding-plants, bulbs and perennials; on 
the contrary, we say have all you can get, and the best 
you can get. But because you cannot have such as 
wealth can only bring, do not deprive yourself of such 
flowers as you can have. Don’t be poor because you 
have no money; i-ather be rich in the blessings that 
flow from a love of the truly beautiful, that is found in 
the most humble plant or flower that helps to make the 
earth’s raiment. 
SOILS. 
The importance of having special soils for the differ- 
•ent genera, or species of plants, is sadly overrated, and 
the different formulas that are found iu the cultwal 
instructions of nearly all flowering plants is a “ delusion 
.and a snare ” that has prevented many from gro-wing 
desired plants, both in the open and window-gardens. 
Our American writers are, relatively, free from the 
follies in this dh-ection that ai’e so conspicuous in all the 
English works upon this subject. The soil “iu which 
this plant thi-ives best, is,” etc., we find in every article 
on plants, whether in Catalogues, Magazines or Diction¬ 
aries, that comes to us from Europe. So much has been 
^vlitten on these topics, that we sometimes think the 
writers are in earnest, that they really believe it them¬ 
selves. Whether they do or not, their teachings have 
been great hinderances, instead of helps, in floricultm-e, 
from the fact that most of the soUs recommended for 
certain plants cannot be obtained in most localities, ex- 
-cepting at an expense that amounts to prohibition. 
These formulas we see so often have, in many instances, 
become chronic, and make an other-wise readable article 
.appear perfectly ridiculous; for instance: an Engiiab 
writer says—“ To gi-ow Portulaoa well, it should be 
given a sou composed of turfy-loam, leaf-mold, weU- 
rotted manure in equal pai*ts, and a little sUver-sand 
added. 
This seems to require a considerable amount of labor, 
to say the least, even though the elements wei-e at hand, 
.and we venture to say that not one of a hundi-ed would 
think of taking so much trouble for a favorite plant, 
much less a troublesome one like the Poi-tulaca, a 
plant that in this counta-y will grow anywhere and 
under any circuihstances. As the question of soU is so 
frequently presented to us, we wish now to say that the 
preparation of the soil has already been attended to, 
varying much in different locaUties; but in every locality 
where common garden vegetables will grow, flowers will 
ffrow, and that if the “books” say “turfy-loam,” and. 
you have a clayey soil, or a sandy-loam, put in your 
seed, bulbs, or plants, aU the same, hoe frequently, and 
thorouglUy, and your labor wUl not be in vain. It is 
true some soils are more productive than others, are 
easier or harder to till; some require more manure than 
others, yet the results will be the same. You will get 
good flowers wherever you can get good beans, beets, or 
potatoes. But what is the best soil for plants in pots? 
The best you have, we say; and if you liave any soil at 
all, you have a good one. But is there no difference? 
Yes, decidedly, and the difference consists in how much 
you have ah-eady taken from the soil, in propoi-tion to 
what you have put back. You can no more draw out of 
your soil without makmg deposits, than you can from 
your bank; if you overdi-aw in either case, your drafts 
will be dishonored. As the amount of soU for plants in 
pots is of necessity limited, it should in all cases be made 
strong and rich in order to keep up the supply of plant 
food. 
The best soil for this purpose, or for any purpose 
where plants are to be grown, can easily be procured or 
prepared at your own door. Take sods from the road¬ 
sides or meadow, pile them up in any convenient' out-of- 
the-way place, and let them i-ot; then you will have a 
soil that contains all the elements that conti-ibute to the 
growth of plants. The best time for this work is in early 
Spring, when the turf is fresh and green, as the roots of 
the grass will die sooner than at any other time. It is 
by no means necessary for the roots of the gi-ass to be¬ 
come thoroughly rotted; all that is required is to have 
them killed; then the coai-ser the soil the better for the 
plants, as the roots of the plants ■will consume the roots 
of the old turf as fast as it is decomposed. Plants grown 
in this soil will be strong and healthy, consequently 
floriferous. A more rapid growth will be induced if a 
Uberal proportion, say one-fourth, of well-rotted manure 
is added; in this case you will have more weeds and 
worms to contend with, but you will be amply repaid 
