eobin in the snow. 
Robin, singing in the snow, 
Where the March winds wildly blow, 
Peering thriugh the blinding storm, 
. I can see thy tiny form. 
On the paling’s sharpened height. 
Quiver with the song’s delight. 
Clouds above and death below. 
Yet thou singest in the snow! 
Not a twig on any tree 
Holds a nesting-place for thee [ 
Not an inch of forage-ground 
Bare in all the country round. 
On the unswept window sill 
Scattered crumbs have been thy fill. 
Scanty provender, ’tis true. 
For a hungry wight like you, 
Minstrel, wand.-ring to and fro, 
For thy dinner in the snow. 
Trill and tw-itter in the gloom, 
“ Sunshine bringeth leaf and bloom; 
Soon on yonder snow^clad tree 
Mate and nest and warmth for thee. 
One whose care is over all— 
1 have heard His Easter call; 
Trust him, though the storm may blow,” 
Sings the robin in the snow. 
XHB SNOWBALL has 
For many darling ” offloiver 
been held as the W on account of its 
gardens the of the unat- 
exquisite flowers. Of late 
tractiveness of I*® ® been produced 
however, many vfiueti j • j type, in 
which vary greatly ^ as in colors, 
size of flowers an si flowers there 
Vet witli the mere. ® g^fliug decrease 
occurred gener.aly a ^^.1^ flowered 
in fragriinco , to pi fgj.g long been 
fr.agrant Mignonette has t^ 
the aim of onstsJVith^^^^^^^ 
George Knoll of 'i.ich seem now to 
extensive success in produc- 
S lh?“Si?owlJall’-Mignonette, shown m 
came from seed gatimred 
Oft the story has been told. 
In the legend sweet and old. 
That thy bosom’s stain of red 
Trickled from the Ihorn crotvned Head; 
Watching in the twilight gray. 
Ere the stone was rolled away. 
Perched the sepulchre a-near. 
Rose thy song of faith and cheer. 
I can well believe it so, 
Robin singing in the snow. 
—The Con Hue Hi. 
SEASONABLE HINTS. 
Cultivating too much land is one of the 
most frequent causes of failure on the farm 
as well as in the garden. Before deciding 
upon the size and extent of your flowerbeds 
it is therefore well to consider how much 
you feel sure to be able to take good care of. 
You can sow and plant an acre sometimes 
in less time than it requires to take good 
care of a few rods of ground. 
A single flower bed kept in scrupulous or¬ 
der and neatness, a single plant even, if well 
grown and cared for, affords frequently 
more pleasure, and imparts more air of re¬ 
finement to a pdace than a whole yard full of 
disordcily plants scrambling with weeds._ 
To avoid disappointment don't undertake 
too much! 
X'nnooerinu lionfig and otliei- protected 
plants should in this latitude bo deferred 
till another month. When the blue birds 
and robbins return, and a few warm days in 
the latter part of March make us imagine 
that spring had come in earnest, we know it 
is vei-y tempting to relieve our garden pets 
of their winter clothing, but it is just then 
that they need it most, to protect them 
against the frequent ch.angcs of freezingand 
thawing. 
Perenniah, as stated in another column 
should be transplanted every few years. 
The best season for this opei'ation is 
early spring, although most hardy Jicrbo- 
ceous plants that have completed t eh- 
growth by September may be transplaS 
with comparative safety in fall, except in tlm 
case of bulbous and tuberous rooted pia,ul 
This 
White 
p.omamixedbedofParsm.sWhite,^^^^^^^^ 
Sniral. and Anieli‘'rata. 
■ white varieties, which arc really 
“so-called” 
and if it can have the protection of 
a fence against the north wind i/ ^ 
1 . > AT m Will 1 
THE SNOWBALL MIGNONETTE. 
only dull gray, this is claimed to be pure 
white, very full and double, and possessed 
of the true Mignonette fragrance. The 
habit of the pdant is compact, pyramidal 
and floriferous, the spikes being carried well 
above the foliage. It is equally adapted lor 
growing in pots as for out-door culture and 
plants cxliibitcd at tlic I’cnnsylvania 
ticiiltural .Society elicited high pr.aisc. 
Ilor- 
preparationfor early flowers. 
As the sun returns to the northern clhnes 
the true over of flowers delights to unke 
. 
Ifonlya I rer " 
4, 
bo raised which may bo I...,, , ' 
labor nod oxikoihi ' ^ '’“baj 
.Select the sunniest ' 
«pot 
III 
rogrance. 
great advantage to the growth 'of of 
TIJ-iTrtn oci.iinnf. •> n ^0 f’ 
If you cannot obtain a wooden ft. * 
for the purpose by a carpenter, a d"*® 
box may. be.made to do.duty f’o^. 
a starch or soap box can be used 
■ Qor 
y'""' garden, 
manure is the best material to su 
requisite heat, but any kind ofstabl ^ 
will do, if it is smoking and'no't”i?''’"''* 
Miake abed of it a foot in height, aiidt”®'’’*’ 
down firmly, or pound it tightly in p] 
pressure will increase the fermentinV®®’ ** 
of the manure. Alako the bed noarf 
longer than is required for the fra®^ ® 
so as to keep out the cold air. *pij 
box upon it, and press it down soverair 
into the manure, scrainng it out at the’* 
if needful to put in the fr.amo and theni*"'®* 
iiig it up all around the box. 
For sowing the seeds of tender amiiiai 
find that cigar boxes or any small sized bo*’ ^ 
wifli a little sprinkling of well decay!! 
mniuiie at the bottom, and then filled^®® 
witli a light sandy soil give better resui!'’ 
f.li:i,n when the seeds are sown in the bed it* 
•self. Over the tiny seeds of Petunias, Fan' 
sics, Verbenas, Stocks, etc., a slight spnnk- 
ling of sand should be sifted through the 
fingers and pressed down upon them, as 
planted firmly they will sprout better. 'The 
names of the seeds may be marked on the ed¬ 
ges of the little boxes in pencil, or else, wiit- 
teu on slips of paper and put into small sticks 
which are thrust into the corners of the 
boxes. Four or more kinds of seeds can he 
planted in one box. 
After they 
/-iniiias in all sliades, Vorhonas, Pa''"' ^ 
Petunias in latest varieties. iioi-os'’* 
For foreiug Dahlias, GladioluS) " .,{ 
and Tigridias, place four inebos oi 
1110''" 
the bulbs will b'"" " 
iiil"' 
DAfSV 
Kvt 
in« 
are prepared—they may he 
planted on the kitchen table, if you are mis¬ 
tress of your own kitchen—place them in 
the hot bed, by digging out the heating 
manure, and putting the boxes in comp.icfly, 
with a layer of manure against all sides of 
each box. This will give not only bottom 
heat, but also side heat, but’gi-eat care must 
be taken not t'> let the plants whither or 
liurn them up by too great a degree of heat, 
which must be i cgulated by lifting the sashes 
a little, whenever the sun shines brightly. 
IVlien the weather is cold the frames must 
not be lifted at all, or very slightly if A'" 
sun falls yvarmly upon them. But ivlieii the 
airissoft, the sashes should be Imlf taken off- 
Warm mats or pieces of carpeting must he 
placed over them every night while there b 
any danger of frost. If the seedlings do not 
have sulliciciit air, they will grow spiiidli"!.' 
and will not make strong plants for beddm!: 
out purposes. . . 
Among the early annuals best suitei 
rorciiig are Ageratum, Asters of mao) 
and kinds, Balsams, Courolrtilus ****** "'(■(nl 
iwrliiix, ('.ypsophilla, Salpiglossis (a 
lloivcr) Seabiosa in many colors, 
Dwarf .Stocks Tropiuolums in all " 
A IIS trail ,111 Daisy— I ’iscariii 
sandy soil over the compost, and I’''* jj^ds 
and by the time tlio g"" 
i 
lUe 
Off' 
if 
i f 
jii« 
\fil' 
sP"' 
lilS 
[lie! 
Ifj" 
iiM 
if 
0 
111 
Orch 
tatei 
tens 
erln 
' ins I' 
im 
Cul 
It 
niihi 
tease 
iirj; 
ikia 
I'ik 
Irene 
o!r 
% 
leedi 
loiisf * 
Imibs in it 
arc prepared .. _ . 
good start iind lie ready to llowo' 
nioiitli earlier, for .your kindly ,Hid 
C’lillivato your plants witli dail) ® 
you will rai.so mco. 
“Bi'IkIiI goiiiM of uiirllilii wlilohpo''"'! .1 
What Kilou was-what l’iiradl’'0 
