142 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



tion of the most prominent tints over the bed, and by filling in 

 the doubtful ones between, all risk of there being a predominance 

 of any colour over one part of the bed will be avoided. For those 

 who might not care to take the trouble to raise them in separate 

 colours, a shilling packet of mixed seed will be sure to repay the 

 cultivator for all the pains he may take with them. 



In preparing the pots or pans in which to sow the seed, let them 

 first be thoroughly cleansed and dried, and then half filled with 

 broken potsherds for drainage. Next pound into dust some old 

 mortar, and some old bricks into small nodules, about half the size 

 of hazel-nuts. Take equal quantities of these pounded bricks, silver- 

 sand, and dry leaf-soil. Fill the pots to within an inch of the rims 

 with this mixture, and give it a gentle soaking of water. When 

 this is drained away, sow the seed (which is very fine) thinly on the 

 surface, and cover with a very little dry silver-sand. If the pots 

 are placed on a warm shelf in the greenhouse, and carefully shaded, 

 they will not require any water until the young plants are showing 

 themselves ; or they may be raised in a warm room with a southern 

 window. But here they may require water once or twice before 

 the seed germinates, as the air of a room is usually more drying 

 than that of a plant-house ; and the water must be given with a very 

 fine rose. 



Sow the seed immediately, and plant in the first or second week 

 in June. It will be important to remember that water is the 

 greatest enemy of these plants; but from the time you can detect 

 the first appearance -of the seeds germinating, you cannot give them 

 too much heat, as they delight in a dry heated atmosphere, and 

 thrive best when they have but little water and an unbroken con- 

 tinuance of brilliant sunshine. When the plants are well up, in 

 very bright weather give them water twice a week, not more ; and 

 not through a rose now, but lay a small convex potsherd just over 

 the rim of the pot, upon this pour the water gently from the spout 

 of a small water-can, and by tdting the pot or pan gently on one 

 side, the water will distribute itself over the whole surface without 

 damping the succulent leaves of the young plants. Sow the 

 seed thinly, and grow them on in these pots until they are bedded 

 out. 



Now for the bed ; and on the proper construction of this 

 depends in a great measure the success of the cultivator. In the 

 first place, take away all the soil in the bed twelve inches deep, and 

 place in the bottom six inches of brickbats or flints ; upon this put 

 another six inches of the same mixture as advised above for sowing 

 the seed in, but this need not be broken up so fine ; into this prick 

 out the plants three inches apart, give a little water, and shade for a 

 couple of days if the weather is very bright, and then leave them to 

 fate. If the summer should be favourable, the result will be a 

 brilliant bed of colours that cannot be surpassed if the whole range 

 of annuals were grown and shown by the side of them. In an 

 ordinary summer they will produce an effect that wall surprise many 

 who have never grown them. If we could foretell what the 

 coming summer was going to be, and that it would be a bright 



