For April. 1921 



539 



When the seeds have germinated and the seedlings 

 are large enough to handle they should be pricked off 

 into boxes of moderately fine soil, after this they are 

 shaded for a few days during the hottest part of the day. 

 In a short time they are large enough to be boxed ofif or 

 else potted off singly into small pots. \'ery soon they 

 are large enough to be put into cold frames where they 

 are hardened off to plant out of doors in May. 



Where there are many kinds of annuals raised in this 

 way in the Spring, should the weather happen to be dull 

 there is sure to be "damijing off."' The best way to stop 

 this is to prick the seedlings into boxes or pots of fresh 

 soil. 



.\nother way to obtain plants earlier than those raised 

 out of doors is to sow the seeds in cold frames. When 

 the weather is warm enough the young plants may be 

 transplanted from the frames into the ground where they 

 are to blossom. The transplanting should be done when 

 the weather is moist. 



The best and most popular way to raise these plants 

 is to sow the seeds where the plants are to be grown 

 in the garden. The ground should be put into good 

 condition by digging and enriching and made fine by 

 raking before the seeds are sown. Very often the seed- 

 lings come up too thickly and thinning the plants out 

 is one of tiie most important points in their culture, 

 the neglect of which does more to injure them than 

 anything else. When sown thickly and allowed to run 

 vp into flower without ever being thinned, great disap- 



poititment will often follow. Thinning out the plants 

 should be begun just as soon as they are large enough 

 to handle. 



Sowing should begin outdoors with the most hardy 

 kinds whenever the frost is out of the ground. In fact 

 there are some kinds which are a complete failure if 

 not sown early: such, for instance, are Sweet Peas and 

 Poppies. The kinds that are more tender should not be 

 sown until the ground is gaining warmth, about the 

 middle of May. 



There is another point in connection with these plants 

 that is very important and often neglected : that is, re- 

 moving all decaying blossoms and preventing seed from 

 forming. If this is not attended to the season of blos- 

 soming is very much shortened. If this is constantly 

 seen to the energies of the plant are put towards the 

 production of growth and flowers, and the flowers are 

 finer and are produced more abundantly. Watering and 

 stirring the soil are two factors which must be attended 

 to regularly. 



The large growing kinds will require staking and this 

 should be done as neatly as possible. There are very 

 few people who have the knack of staking outdoor plants 

 successfully. The staking of plants in the garden shows 

 at once the intelligence or the indift'erence of the gar- 

 dener. Every plant has a certain defined contour of its 

 own and the aim should be to imitate it as near as 

 possibl e. 



Read by Robert Cameron, Supt. Castle Hill Farm, Ipswich, Ma-s.. before 

 Gaideners' and Florists' Club of Tloston, March 15, 1921. 



(To be continued in flic Mav issue.) 



Exhibit of group of Flourrinn Plants, occupying live hundred square feet, staged by John Canning, sufieriiitendent to Adolph 

 Leu'isohn, at the International Flcarr Sho-ur, Grand Centra! Palace. Meic York. Azvarded First Prize, and Cold Medals of the 

 National Association of Gardeners, Garden Club of America, and Internationa! Garden Club for the nwst meritorious exhibit by 

 a private grozver. 



