The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-02-10 00:00:00

FLOWER GARDEN, ETC.

only what really must be done should now be carried
out, as under no circumstances should such work be
allowed to interfere or in.errupt the usual routine labours
which an advancing season always brings. Perfection of
keeping, by which is meant general neatness and order, is
only attainable by doing everything at the proper time;
therefore, let all extra labours be at mum brought to a
dose. In frosty weather all strength should be concen-
trated on clipping and trimming hedges, cutting laurels,
bellies, and other shrubs, and the more straggling shoots
of rhododendrons, and the removal of the old seed-pods
from such as through lack of time were not done as soon
as the flowering season was over ; and this, together with
wheeling or carting of manure or soil, as the case may be,
will afford profitable employment till a change occurs,
and then all tree and shrub planting still on hand should
have first attention, that they may get established in the
soil before there is danger of their being chocked by
drought. When practicable a mulching of stable litter
should be given.
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A change to milder weather will start spring-flowering
plants into active growth, slid when this has taken place
they are more susceptible of injury at each recurring frost,
hence the necessity of affording the tenderer kinds some
slight protection by evergreen boughs, or tiffany supported
by hooped sticky, and the ends of it pegged into the turf.
After each sharp frost all the beds should be gone over
and the plants well Armed in the soil. A mulching of
cocoa-fibre refuse is a mood preventive of such uphesving
by frost, and at the same time gives • neat appearance to
the beds. The lessen for division, re-arrangement, or for
making new plantations of hardy herbaceous and other
perennial plants is at hand; the following are showy,
lasting, and easy of culture :—Antirrhinums, anemones,
an u legiss, delphiniums, dianthuses, funkias, helianthosm,
irises, Illinois, myosotis, penbstemons, pomnies, phloxes,
pyrtthrums, spirseas, and trltomas. Where such planta
are grown in borders entirely devoted to them, a know.
ledge of their height and habit of growth is necessary, in
order to assign the rightful position to each; but when
grown in rockery gardens, in odd nooks and corners, or in
front of shrubbery clumps, the arrangement is not of so
much importance.
•

Anemones, ranuncu'uses. and gladioli ought ta be I
planted as soon as the frost is out of the ground, for early
planting prevents the exhaustion and consequent dc.
terioration ef flowers which takes place when growth is
developed prior to planting the bulls; and if through any
circumstances they cannot yet be planted. keep them, to
hinder growth. in AA cools place as possible. In prepar-
ing beds for these the soil should be deep, and if of an
adhesive nature there should be a liberal admixture of
leaf-mould and plenty of drainage ; for • light sell a good
allowance of cow-manure is necessary to obtain line
flowers. Sweet peas are always welcome flowers, and it
will now In safe to sow these in the open grounds.
Though I have occasionally sown them in pots, and raised
them in warmth, and transferred them to the open
ground as the weather became mild, the gain was so little
that I would not commend the practice.
Summer bedding arrangements ought now to be
completed, that due time may be afforded for the
propagation of the necessary plants; and to those who
have hitherto mainly depended on pelargoniums, lobelias,
calceolarhs, and plants of similar nature. I would is
make an effort to get out of this rut, not by entirely
excluding these, but toning down the necessarily high
colouring which such plants produce, by using others of
more sombre hum and particularly aiming to work in as
many hardy plants as possible. Thus, whilst ensuring
permanency of effect, there will be less work to be done
in the propagation of tender plants,—W. WILDIXITH,
Heckfield, in Glardesers' Chronicle.

THERE is nothing more nourishing and warming in
cold weather than a cup of really good cocoa, but the
difficulty has been to obtain it pure. This may be
secured at the cost of one halfpenny for a large break-
fast cup by using Cadbury's cocoa essence, which goes
three times as far as the adulterated and starchy
compounds ordinarily sold, the smallest packet making
fourteen breakfast ouPs of strung cocoa.