2<)( I 



THE GARDENER' i^ MOXTIILY 



{Sipkmbcry 



room for it. should bo stirrtnl up with a hoc or 

 stirk roughly Ix'twocu aud rouud the plauts. If 

 a pot is used, the water should be given heavy 

 with the spout, and as soon as practicalde the 

 soil may be leveled witli a small rake, whieh 

 will prt'vent formation of erusts or eracks. 



The evening is the best time for watering, 

 beeause the moist beds will to a greater extent 

 attraet the night dew, and parts of the ground 

 not well soaked through will have time to do so 

 before the sun commences to again draw it out, 

 in forni of vapor. 



SEEDS AND SEED PLANTING. 



BY CIIAS. II. SIIINX, XILES, CAL. 



The curious things about seeds — Some of the 

 secretin — Sowing of flower seeds — Preparation 

 of soil— Covering — Tree and shrub seeds — The. 

 critical periods — Subsequent treatment — The 

 three enemies — The delight of success. 

 The beginning and the end of plant life are in 

 the seed. Xothing is so nearly a constant mira- 

 cle as this endless round of nature, from the 

 planted seed, through the leaf, stem, blossom, 

 and forming germ, to the ripened seed of another 

 generation. A deep interest surrounds every 

 step of the process, so often seen, so seldom 

 carefully studied. Noiselessly, when the first 

 rains of Winter come, all the l)rown slopes thrill 

 and quiver with countless budding blades that 

 climb from hidden seeds. Xoiselessly, too, over 

 all the new-ploughed, smoking acres, the promise 

 of the harvest springs into being ; the seeds of 

 the old-fashioned flowers in the little gardens, 

 begin to found their palaces,and rear their tinted 

 spires, on whieh, in due season, their banners of 

 blossoms shall wave. By the low marshes, 

 where the sedges and Mimulus grow ; along the 

 rivers, bright with Lupines and Gilias ; in our 

 deep gulches, fit home of Trilliums and Aristolo- 

 chias, of Calycanthus and Azaleas ; on the long 

 mountain slopes, sown with blue Nemophilas, 

 and countless growing bulbs — ever^-where the 

 glad germs spring, and the world laughs into 

 leaf and blossom. 



Men have learned to produce this miracle of 

 germination at their own will, by imitating 

 nature's conditions of heat, moisture and dark- 

 ness. So, mainly by seeds, which retain their 

 life for a considerable, though varying period, 

 and can be easily transported, we are enabled 

 to possess the plants and flowers of every land ; 



some of them to brighten our conservatories, 

 some to give an added grace to the garden, and 

 some to become field products, and so increa-se 

 the wealth of the individual, and the prosperity 

 of the State. The history of the introduction of 

 many seeds, now common, reads like a romance 

 — the romance of horticulture. Ardent collec- 

 tors have risked their lives to gather and pre- 

 serve seeds ; the strangest accidents have scat- 

 tered them ; they have been carried in unknown 

 ways, and suddenh^ have appeard in new 

 places; kings have made treaties for them, and 

 have planted them with their own hands. As 

 Tennyson held the '' flower from a crannied 

 wall " in his questioning hand, feeling that if he 

 could only read its story the secret of the world 

 Avould be known, so might we take the shelly seed 

 of some Indian palm, or tropic Cycad, and pon- 

 der long upon the life that lies hidden within it, 

 the dormant cells, the starch and albumen, and 

 nice provisions for covering. In such moods the 

 work of the gardener and of the farmer seem 

 to run parallel to the very fibres of being — in 

 truth a simple and holy work. 



But after we have thought of the wonderful 

 things connected with the beginnings of plant 

 life, we must proceed to put a practical point to 

 our article. Given the seed— this brown mj-s- 

 tery — and how shall we set it at woi'k ; how shall 

 we rouse its dormant energies ; what are the 

 " laws of germination ?" 



The secrets of starting seeds are very simple, 

 warmth and moisture are the two essentials. 

 These must be applied evenly, steadily, and 

 with patience, for they are as important ele- 

 ments in sprouting seeds as pork and beans,beans 

 and pork were in our miner's typical dinner. 

 The mechanical condition of the soil is of great 

 importance; it should be light, mellow and 

 healthy. 



Flower seeds are best sown in boxes, tw'o and 

 one-half inches deep and one foot in length and 

 breadth. Cut small holes in the bottom for 

 drainage, and fill the boxes with prepared soil. 

 .Just here the amateur begins to be puzzled, if 

 he has consulted a series of authorities. Peat, 

 loam, silver sand, compost, sods, leaf mould, 

 variously compounded — these look mysterious 

 enough, to be sure! But there is in practice a 

 simpler way. Take any garden soil as a basis, 

 and mix with it sand, and the light mould from 

 under an old straw stack, or from the hollows 

 on the mountain sides, where leaves drift and 

 decay, until you have a light, rich and friable 



