We have become so habituated to rapid work that many good practices of the slow old times have become nearly forgotten. For instance, trenching ground for trees and flowers is so utterly neglected that few know even what trenching means. But trenching provides that the ground be loosened two feet deep. In such soils flowers or trees rarely suffer, though they have to go through a drouth that would tax the memory of the oldest inhabitant to remember the like. A few, however, stick to the good old rules for deep digging, though at some risk of being laughed at. The longest memory knew nothing equal to the severe drouth in this part of the world last summer. Numbers of shrubberies had the plants destroyed. Few things suffer more in these exigencies than Rhododendrons and similar plants with hair-like roots, that do not run far below the surface. But we know a friend in love with the old fashioned practice, who has his Rhododendron bed dug two feet deep, and has the earth mixed with nearly one-half its bulk with brush wood and rubbish, and although this admixture necessarily raised the finished bed far above the surrounding soil so that much water would run off, the plants are in glorious condition to-day in spite of the long drouth,'though not a drop of artificial watering was bestowed on them.

There is no doubt that very much of ill success in growing flowers, shrubs and trees, comes from carelessness in preparing deep and rich soil. This is particularly the case with herbaceous plants and bulbs. If one would have these satisfactory, a cool, deep, and rich soil is indispensable, and we have especially in our mind Lilies and other bulbs that are usually set out at this season of the year. Of the Lily especially, we may say that it is but a waste of time, money, and good temper to plant them in ground that dries out easily in summer time.

We would again call the attention of those having places of limited extent to the great number of beautiful shrubs that have been introduced of late years, and the opportunity they give for a great variety of beauty in a small place. In some classes of plants, particularly, so much variety has been introduced that we might make a collection of one kind of plant alone, and still have a charming feature. There are, for instance, Lilacs in great variety, and of the Japanese Maples, scores that afford an immense variety in the color and form of the leaves, as well as in habit and general character. The catalogues of Ellvvanger & Barry; Parsons Sons & Co.; Saul, and others, give full descriptions of these; and the catalogues of any of the larger firms will well repay a careful consultation for novelties before deciding what to plant. We annex a cut of the larger blood-leaved Japan Maple, which goes in foreign catalogues, where they love long Latin names to garden varieties better than we do, as Acer Japonicum polymorphum atropurpureum, or sometimes atrosanguineum; for we believe there is no material difference between the two. There are other blood-leaved kinds, with cut and other forms of leaves; but this, the larger leaved, is one of the showiest of the whole.

Though Maples, they are all shrubs of moderate growth, and not trees.

Acer polymorphum atropurpureum.

One of the regretful features of gardening is to feel that the beautiful Geraniums, Coleus and other plants that have given us so much pleasure and enjoyment the whole summer, must be left in the open ground for the frost to kill. But it is seldom worth while trying to save any, unless we desire a a few large plants for some special purpose, as young ones do so much better every way. September is the great propagating month for young bedding plants.

The best way to propagate all the common kinds of bedding plants is, to take a frame or hand-glass and set it on a bed of very sandy soil made in a shady place in the open air. The sand should be fine and sharp, and there is, perhaps, nothing better than river sand for this purpose. The glass may be whitewashed on the inside, so as to afford additional security against injury from the sun's rays. Into this bed of sand, cuttings of half ripened wood for the desirable plants may be set, and after putting in, slightly watered. Even very rare plants often do better this way than when under treatment in a regular propagating house. In making cuttings, it is best to cut the shoots just under a bud, - they root better, and are not so likely to rot off and decay. A cutting of about three eyes is long enough for most strong growing things, such as Geraniums, Fuchsias, etc. Small growing things, of course, will take more buds to the one cutting. From one to three inches is, however, long enough for most cuttings.

They should be inserted about one-third of their way under the sand, which latter should be pressed firmly against the row of cuttings with a flat piece of board, - not, however, hard enough to force the particles of sand into the young and tender bark, which is often the first step to decay. For a few cuttings, they may be inserted with a dibble; but where many are to be put in, it saves time to mark a line on the sand with rule or straight edge, and then cut down a face into the sand, say one or two inches deep, when the cuttings can be set against the face like box edging. All amateurs should practice the art of propagating plants. There is nothing connected with gardening more interesting.