106 



THE FLOEAL WOELT) AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 



constructing the back wall remember to [ing moisture to the atmosphere. /", i?, 9, 



turn an arch where the boiler is to be 

 fixed, to prevent the necessity of weakening 

 the structure by cutting away ; also, to see 

 that at least one of the hot- water pipes 

 have a saddle cast upon it, for supply- 



and the dotted lines Fig. 4 indicate thc 

 position for the boiler, furnace, and ash- 

 jjit under the building. This plan, if pro- 

 perly carried out, Avould secure both a 

 useful and durable structure. 



ON THE SOWING OF SEEDS. 



BY MESSRS. HK'N'DEESON AND SO^^, AVELLIJTGTOX KTJRSEllY, ST. JOHN S "'.VOOI). 



Annuals are propagated exclusively from 

 seed. They are sown after two ways : the 

 one in the borders where they are intended 

 to remain ; the other in prepared beds, 

 from whence they are transplanted to the 

 flower-garden. The former plan, although 

 the most simple, and most ordinarily 

 adopted, has many inconveniences ; one 

 of the principal of which is, that the 

 ground is occupied for a long period before 

 they arrive at perfection. It would, there- 

 fore, be the more advisable, if it were pos- 

 sible, to sow all annuals in prepared beds, 

 and afterwards transplant; but there are 

 some, such as poppies and similar rooted 

 plants, that do not bear transplanting, so 

 that these, under any circumstances, must 

 be sown where they are to flower. It is 

 also essential, in order to insure success in 

 raising seeds of any kind, to bear the fol- 

 lowing important rule in mind : That the 

 smaller the seed, the less deeply should it 

 be covered with earth ; indeed, some seeds 

 are so fine that they ought only to be 

 spi'inlded slightly over the ground, and 

 should the weather at the time be very dry, 

 a thin layer of damp moss ought to be 

 placed over them till they begin to germi- 

 nate ; but there are few hardy annuals that 

 require such extreme attention as this, such 

 care being more intended for the raising of 

 Calceolaria and other minute seeds in pot- 

 culture. 



Annuals foe the Conservatory. — 

 The following will bloom eai'ly for conser- 

 vatory decoration, if sown in July and 

 August : CoUinsia liicolor and others ; 

 Calceolaria Californica, line winter-flower- 

 ing ; Lobelia, of sorts ; Mignonnette ; 

 Nemophila insignis, with its varieties ; 

 Oxalis rosea ; Saponaria ocymoides ; Mi- 

 OT«ZtJ.9, in variety ; Rhodanthe; Schizantlms 

 retv.sns ; and S. retusus AhliXJS ; Petunias ; 

 the Intermediate Stocks, red. and white, 

 also the New Hylrid Giant Cape, and the 

 New Hybrid Perpetual Stocks. The Schi- 

 zanthus here mentioned are both very 



beautifully coloured and very conspicuous 

 in the conservatory, the other varieties are 

 often grown for the same purpose, but 

 their colours are not so telling. The 

 NemopJiilas are very ornamental and very 

 useful for suspending from the roof or 

 shelves, and for marginal effect around the 

 larger baskets or vases. Mignonnette grown 

 in pots for the winter and early spring is 

 invaluable for its perfume ; though requir- 

 ing some skill for thus producing it, the 

 grand secret is to keep it moderately dry 

 through the winter ; and though it may 

 often flag by this observance, as well as 

 from air, wind, and sun, it must neverthe- 

 less be only occasionally watered, and then 

 only in dry or mild weather, in the morn- 

 ing hours, and never on the approach or 

 probability of frost. After watering, 

 which must always be done with a spouted 

 or tubed watering-pot, to avoid sprinkling 

 the leaves, and by drying the surface-mois- 

 ture before closing the pits or frames, much 

 of tlie loss otherwise sustained by canker 

 or " damping off"," will be prevented; and 

 those who are skilled in preserving winter- 

 stock in frames, are aware of the vital im- 

 portance in having the floor formed of a 

 good under-stratumof dry brick-bats, etc., 

 beneath the top surface of sand or cinder- 

 ashes, to avert the injury sustained by 

 close treatment in continued severe wea- 

 ther, by surface-moisture and stagnant 

 exhalation. The foregoing hints are ap- 

 plicable to all winter management of plants 

 in pits or frames. 



Autumn-sown Annuals in the open 

 ground for spring and early summer orna- 

 ment, especially the Californian species, 

 may be sown in September. Tliey will 

 stand ordinaiy winters with perfect safety, 

 by which means the plants are stronger 

 and flower one or two months earlier than 

 those sown in spring, thereby giving a gay 

 appearance to the garden at that particular 

 period of the year when most required ; 

 some of the most useful for this purpose 



