foreign water lilies are not hardy, but some of them may be grown with ease if the pond is covered in winter.

Native Aquatics may be colonized in streams or ponds. If artificial ponds are to be made, do not get them too deep. A foot or 15 inches is sufficient depth of water to stand above the crowns of the plants; and the greatest depth of water should not be more than 2½ ft. for all kinds of water lilies. Half this depth is often sufficient. The soil should be 1 to 2 ft. deep, and very rich. Cow manure may be mixed with rich loam. Roots of hardy water lilies may be planted as soon as the pond is clear of frost, but the tender kinds (which are also to be taken up in the fall) should not be planted till it is time to plant out geraniums. Sink the roots into the mud so that they are just buried, and weight them down with a stone or clod. In cold climates, protect the pond of hardy Aquatics by throwing boards over the pond and covering with hay, straw or evergreen boughs. It is well to supply an additional depth of water as a further protection.

Aquilegia. Columbine. These hardy perennials are general favorites for borders and rockwork. Blooming early in the season, they may be said to head the procession of the perennials. The ease with which they may be cultivated, their freedom of bloom, their varied colors and odd shape entitle them to the front rank among hardy plants. They are propagated by division of the plants in the spring or from seed sown in the fall. Seedlings may be expected to bloom well the second year. They require a moist, partially sheltered situation, with exposure to the sun. The common wild Columbine (often called “honeysuckle”) is easily grown and is very attractive. Clumps of Columbine should stand 12-18 in. apart. 2-3 ft. high.

Araucaria, or Norfolk Island Pine, is now sold in pots by florists as a window plant. The common species (A. excelsa) is most excellent for this purpose, making a symmetrical evergreen subject. It keeps well in a cool window, or on the veranda in the summer. Protect it from direct sunlight, and give plenty of room. If the plant begins to fail, return it to the florist for recuperation.

Argemone. See Prickly Poppy.

Aristolochia, or Dutchman’s Pipe. A strong, woody twiner with very large, heavy leaves, forming a dense screen and having peculiarly shaped flowers. But one species is considered hardy north, A. Sipho. This will grow without special treatment and prove a satisfactory ornamental screen or porch plant. Reaches a height of 20 or 30 ft. Young plants need some protection in cold winters.

Artichoke. A tall, coarse perennial of the thistle tribe, producing flower-heads which are edible. When once established, it will last in bearing for a number of years. While this plant is not generally grown in this country, its merit as a supplementary vegetable for salads or cooking is great. It is usually grown from suckers from the root, but a start can be made by sowing the seed. Sow in a border or seed box and transplant to the garden in early summer; and the following year a crop may be had. The parts of the plant used are the flower-heads and the young suckers, the former boiled or eaten raw as a salad. The young shoots may be tied together and blanched, using them like asparagus or Swiss chard. The fleshy scales of the head and the soft “bottom” of the head are the parts used. But few of these plants would be needed for a family, as they produce a number of flower-heads to a plant and a quantity of suckers. The plants should be set from 2 to 3 ft. apart in the row, the rows being 3 ft. apart. This vegetable is not quite hardy in the north, but a covering of leaves or barnyard litter to the depth of a foot will protect them well. The plant, being a perennial, will continue to yield for a number of years under good cultivation. These plants make no mean decorative subjects, either massed or in a mixed border, and from the rarity of their culture are always objects of interest.

Artichoke, Jerusalem, is a wholly different plant from the above, although it is commonly known as “Artichoke” in this country. It is a species of sunflower which produces potato-like tubers. These tubers may be used in lieu of potatoes. They are very palatable to hogs; and when the plant becomes a weed—as it often does—it may be exterminated by turning the hogs into it. Hardy.

Arundo, or Reed, is one of the best of bold and ornamental grasses, excellent for the center of a large formal bed, or for emphatic points in a mixed border. It is perennial and hardy in the northern states, but it is advisable to give it a mulch on the approach of winter. Thrives in any rich soil, doing best where somewhat moist. 8-12 ft. The clumps enlarge year by year.

Asparagus. A hardy herbaceous perennial, much grown for the soft, edible, early spring shoots. The culture of this, the finest of early vegetables, has been simplified in the past few years, and at present the knowledge required to successfully plant and grow a good supply need not be that of a professional. The old method of excavating to the depth of 3 ft. or more, throwing in from 4 to 6 in. of broken stone or bricks for drainage, then filling to within 16 to 18 in. of the surface with well rotted manure, with 6 in. of soil upon which to set the roots, has given place to the simple practice of plowing or digging a trench from 14 to 16 in. deep, spreading well rotted manure in the bottom to the depth of 3 or 4 in.; when well trodden down covering the manure with 3 or 4 in. of good garden soil, then setting the plants, with the roots well spread out, covering carefully with soil to the level of the garden, and firming the soil with the feet. This will leave the crowns of the plants from 4 to 5 in. below the surface. In setting, 1-year-old plants will prove more satisfactory than older ones, being less liable to suffer from injury to the root system than those which have made a larger growth. Two years after setting the crop may be cut, but not sooner if a lasting bed is desired, as the effort to replace the stalks has a tendency to weaken the plant unless the roots are well established. The yearly treatment of an Asparagus bed consists of cleaning off tops and weeds in the fall and adding a dressing of well rotted manure to the depth of 3 or 4 in., this manure to be lightly forked into the bed the following spring; or, the tops may be allowed to stand for winter protection and the mulch left off. A top-dressing of nitrate of soda, at the rate of 200 pounds per acre, is often beneficial as a spring stimulant, especially in the case of an old bed. Good results will also follow an application of bone meal or superphosphate at the rate of from 300 to 500 pounds per acre. The practice of sowing salt on an Asparagus bed is almost universal. Still, beds that have never received a pound of salt are found to be as productive as those having received an annual dressing. Nevertheless, a salt dressing is recommended. In stubborn, heavy soil the best method to pursue in making a permanent bed would be to throw out all the dirt from the trench and replace with good, fibrous loam. Two rows of Asparagus 25 ft. long and 3 ft. apart would supply a large family with an abundance throughout the season, and if well taken care of will last a number of years. Conover’s Colossal is the variety most generally grown, and is perhaps the most satisfactory sort. Palmetto, a variety originating at the south, is also very popular. A