1434 The Cornell Reading-Courses 



Balsam 



Balsam flourishes in a rich soil with plenty of moisture, and in hot, 

 sunny weather. For early bloom the seed may be sown in April, in hot- 

 beds or in flats kept in the house. Transplanting two or three times has a 

 tendency to dwarf the plants, giving them a better shape and making 

 them more productive of flowers. For outside planting the seed may be 

 sown in May, \ to f inch deep in rows 24 inches apart, and the plants 

 thinned when 4 or 5 inches tall to 24 inches apart in the row. The plants 

 are tender. Balsam grows to a height of 2 to 2 \ feet. 



There are double white, double red, camellia-flowered, carnation- 

 striped, rose-flowered, and dwarf-aster-flowered varieties. 



Calendula (Pot marigold) 



Calendula thrives best in a warm, loose garden soil. The plants may 

 be raised in the hotbed and later transplanted; or the seed may be sown 

 in the garden in drills \ to \ inch deep, with rows 12 inches apart and plants 

 6 inches apart in the row. Calendula is a hardy annual and its average 

 height is about 8 to 12 inches. Blooms appear from early June until 

 late October. 



Some of the best varieties of calendula are La Proust, Nankeen, Cape 

 Marigold, and the pale yellow Sulphurea. 



Campanula {Canterbury bells) 



The hardy annual or perennial campanula requires a rich garden soil 

 for its best development. The seed may be sown in the open ground 

 \ to \ inch deep, in rows 12 to 18 inches apart, the plants being thinned 

 later to 12 inches apart in the row. The average height of the plant is 

 2 to 3 feet. Blooms may be obtained from June to August; they are 

 very beautiful, especially when a good mixture of varieties is used. If 

 blooming is desired the first year, the plants should be started in the 

 hotbed in March. 



Among other varieties there are rose and white, both single and double. 



Candytuft 



A rich garden soil is best suited to candytuft. This plant is called a 

 half-hardy annual. The seed may be sown in the garden about the last 

 of April or the first of May, \ to \ inch deep in rows 12 inches apart; 

 when about an inch high the plants should be thinned to 4 to 6 inches 

 apart in the row, thus allowing them to branch freely and produce larger 

 II. >wers than they would otherwise. Another planting may be made about 

 the last of June for fall flowers. 



