THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 305 



the soil over them, to keep the other portion from running down 

 amongst the crocka, and preventiug the ready escape of the water. 

 Too much importance cannot be attached to this, for if the soil once 

 gets pasty, the chances are that the seed will perish in the ground, 

 or, if up, the young plants will go off wholesale. The remaining 

 space in the pan is then filled up with loam and sand, chopped finely, 

 and a layer of sifted soil sprinkled over the surface, to receive the 

 seed. This last should have a liberal admixture of silver-sand witli 

 it, and be pressed perfectly flat ; for if the surface is rough and un- 

 even, one portion of the seed gets buried too deep, and the remain- 

 ing part has no covering at all. The consequence of this is simply 

 that all perish. The surface can be easily made smooth with a piece 

 of board or the bottom of a flower-pot. When this is done, the pans 

 should have a good watering, and after the water has soaked away 

 the seed can be sown. A little carefulness in doing this is necessary, 

 for the seed is so small that if sown carelessly there is danger of its 

 being sown in lumps instead of being distributed regularly and 

 evenly over the surface. After the seed is sown it should be covered 

 with a light sprinkling of silver-sand, the lighter the better, provided 

 the whole of the seed is covered. On the other hand it must not be 

 covered too deep ; this latter point is an error which cannot be too 

 carefully guarded against, and I quite believe that at least two-thirds 

 of the failures of the seeds to come up can be traced to the latter cause. 

 After the seed is sown and covered, a light sprinkle from a fine rose 

 is beneficial in settling everything in its place. I place my pans in 

 a small propagating case that I have until the young plants make 

 their appearance. As soon as they are nicely up, a little air is given 

 at first, and gradually increased until they are strong enough to allow 

 the case to be taken away altogether. Previous to having this case, 

 I used to place the pans under an ordinary hand-light or in a cold 

 frame, whichever happened to be most convenient; but I prefer the 

 hand-lights, for they can be placed in the greenhouse, and then the 

 seed-pans are less likely to be forgotten. It must not be supposed 

 that because this seed will keep good done up in paper packets, and 

 perfectly dry, that it can be either dry or wet, no matter which, after 

 it is sown without being injured. The seed very soon after it is sown 

 begins to germinate ; and if it once gets thoroughly dry afterwards, 

 there need be but very small hopes entertained of its ever making 

 its appearance above ground. And, as I have said before, too much 

 moisture is equally injurious ; what is required is to keep the soil 

 just moist, and no more. The pans, before and after the young 

 plants begin to vegetate, must he shaded from the sun ; for it is im- 

 possible to keep a regular moisture in the soil if they are exposed to 

 its full power. At all times they shouhl be watered through a very 

 fine rose, or the seeds will be washed out of their place and be buried 

 too deep ; and, besides, it lessens the chance of getting a good stock 

 of plants if the seed is disturbed after germination has commenced. 



TREATMENT OF THE SEEDLIKG TLATJTS. 



"We will now suppose that the young plants have been gradually 

 inured to bear the atmosphere of the greenhouse, and are ready for 



October. 20 



