246 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Executive Board — "William K. Munson, Williain K. Emmons, VV. N. Cook, 

 El wood Graham. 



ANNUALS AND HOW TO GROW THEM. 



BY WM. X. KOWE. 



SOWING SEEDS. 



Place — 1. Hot-bed or cold frame. 2. Shallow boxes, pans, or pots. 3. Open 

 ground. 



The soil needs special preparation and should be of a light, friable nature. 

 Leaf mold, decomposed refuse hops, sandy loam, or even common sand will 

 answer the purpose, but whatever is used it should be thoroughly pulverized 

 and carefully silted. If you haven't a coarse sieve punch an old pan full of 

 holes as a substitute, for it is very important to get rid of hard lumps, sticks, 

 and stones that are so liable to cover fine seeds and hinder germination. If 

 you are favored with a hot-bed place about eight inches of good soil upon the 

 Jaeating material and then sift on two inches of light soil in which to sow your 

 seeds. If you use shallow boxes, pans, or pots silt all the soil used and heat it; 

 hot in the oven so as to kill the worms and insects that may be in it. Put the 

 soil in your boxes three or four inches deep and place them in south or east 

 windows, where the plants can be nearly as well raised as in a hot bed and 

 with much less care. Keep the temperature as near 65° as possible, the more 

 even it is the better they will thrive. If you sow all your seeds in the open 

 ground do not be in a hurry. Wait until the ground is warm and then by all 

 means make a regular seed bed. Pulverize the soil deep and sift upon the sur- 

 face two or three inches of light earth to receive the seeds, and depend upon it 

 a little extra work of this kind will pay you well. 



A FEW GESTERAL RULES. 



Level the soil so the surface will be smooth. Sow in drills three or 

 four inches apart made by pressing the soil gently with the edge of a piece of 

 lath according to the size of the seed to be sown. If about the size of balsam 

 or aster seed the depression may be from one-fourth to one-half an incii deep, 

 but if fine like petunia or gypsophila seed, the ground should be merely 

 smoothed down by the edge of the Jath and only a very light sprinkling of fine 

 soil sifted over them. Do not sow too thick, but drop carefully at regular 

 intervals. This will save the labor of thinning and enable you to tell about 

 what i)roportion of the seeds have grown. 



It is a good plan to save a lew seeds of most kinds for a second sowing, so 

 in case of an accident to your beds or boxes you will not be nonplussed, and 

 then again you can better maintain a complete succession of flowers. Cover 

 by sifting on clear sand if you can get it easily, and if not use the same soil 

 prepared to receive the seeds. Press down gently with the flat side of your 

 lath or a piece of board so that the seeds will be evenly covered and protected 

 from air and light. Before watering place sonic strips of lath edgewise between 

 tlie rows and cover with old newspain-rs, or wliat is still better an old flannel 

 blanket, so that the seeds may be watered more easily without being washed 



