their fruit, which can
be assisted by passing a camel's hair brush over the flowers, and thus
fertilising them. Of course, out of doors the bees do this; their
"busyness" materially aiding the gardener.

As to =storing plants=, a box of sand placed in a dry corner where no drip
can reach it, is best for this, burying the roots of dahlias, etc., fairly
deep in it, and withholding water till the spring, when they may be taken
out, each root examined, decayed parts removed, and every healthy plant
repotted. The pots should be placed under the shelves till they shoot
forth, when they can be gradually brought forward to the light. This
reminds me that =the dark parts of a greenhouse= should never be wasted,
as, besides their use in bringing up bulbs, ferns can be grown for
cutting, and such things as rhubarb, may be readily forced there. =Frames=
are very useful and fairly cheap, though it is best to get them set with
21-oz. glass, or they will not last long. Seedlings may be brought up in
them with greater success than if in a greenhouse, and a supply of violets
may be kept up in them during the coldest weather. The mats they are
covered with during the night must never be removed till the frost is well
off the grass, say about 11 a.m., as a sudden thaw makes terrible havoc.

=The great point to remember= when about to indulge in a greenhouse is
this: unless sufficient time and trouble can be given to make it worth
while, it is better to spend the money on the outdoor department, which to
a certain extent takes care of itself. Where there is leisure to attend to
a greenhouse, however, few things will give more return for the care spent
on it.

CHAPTER VI

The Tool Shed and Summer-House

_Spades and the Bishop--Weeding without back-ache--The indispensable
thermometer--Well-made tools a necessity--Summer-houses and their
adornment._

Though it is true enough that the best workmen need little mechanical aid,
yet =a well-stocked tool-shed= is not to be despised. Sometimes it may
only be a portion of a bicycle-shed which can be set apart for our
implements, or the greenhouse may have to find room for a good many of
them, but certain it is that a few nicely-finished tools are an absolute
necessity to the would-be gardener. Of course a good many of them can be
hired; it is not everyone, for instance, who possesses a =lawn-mower=, but
if the owner of a garden is ambitious enough to wish to do without a