IRISH GARI)I:M\'G 



151 



TIk* principal lmumiiv is liverwort civ iik>ss. This is 

 l)v>l piiki'd oil Willi llu' point ol a knil'o as soon as tin- 

 smallest spook appears. I'ine silver sand sprinkled one- 

 eifjflitli of an inch deep l^i\ the surface of the soil mode- 

 rates this Ironhle to some extent, but nolhinjj I have 

 yet heard of will prevent its formation in the lonjj 

 run. 



.\s sooti as the iMittinv^s appear tv» hi* inakiniL;' a 

 decitietl move, a perioti var_\"inj^ with tlitfei-eni plants, 

 the)' are best potteti up sini^ly into small pots, ami this 

 chanjje from their oUI quarters, if carefully iloiie, often 

 starts them growini; more vigorously. 



It is as well to keep them shaded for a few d.iys 

 after such removal. 



The seeds which most iW tis have been c^iliectini;' 

 from our plants, as they matured during the summer 

 and autumn, are best sown as soon as they are ripe — 

 viz., a day or two after gathering-, but should any of 

 litem still be unsown they should be put in at once. 

 This is especially the case with such pLints as 

 .Meconopsis, Gentians, and Primulas. 



In m^ny instances these seetis will take a long while 

 to germinate, especially if kept for any length of time 

 between ripening .Hiid sowing — while it is saiil tli.il 

 some tientian seeds should ii/7i'in>s be exposed to llu' 

 action of frost and snow. 



Needless to say, these seeds should be sown in pots 

 which should be scrupulously clean. It is advisable to 

 put in nearly one-third of broken crocks, and then a 

 thin layer of moss to keep the drainage ojii'n. 



It is as well, I think — no matter what the particukir 

 compost the plant prefers — to keep it on the light and 

 sandy side, ai\d to thoroughly consolidate it in tlu' pot 

 before attempting to sow -especiallv with the smaller 

 seeds. 



It is by no means a bad plan to make up the pols .un.1 

 give them h good wateiing the day betcri' the stiwini^ 

 is to be done. 



Care should be taken to lirmly lix a label (bearing 

 the name of the seed, source of oiigin, ami dale of 

 sowing) into the pot before putting the seed in, while 

 the actual sowing with the smaller seeds is best done 

 with a piece of paper folded to resemble a scoop or 

 gutter, down which the seeds run freely and can be 

 sprinkled regularly and //ti/i/v over the top of the soil, 

 after which a surfacing of line silver sand can be 

 sprinkled on. 



If the soil has luit just [■>re\"iously been walereil I 

 prefer to stand the seed pots in a pan of water till it 

 iust shows moist through the silver sand ; then stand 

 to drain, after which they can be plunged in the seed 

 frame and kept free from direct sunlight. 



Personally. I use a frame, the plunging material of 

 which is kept moist by means of a perforated water 

 pipe, tluis r-entlering overhead watering mniecessary, 

 beyond an occasional syringing when the young 

 seedlings appear to need it. 



If walering by means of a can is necessary it should 

 be done only with the fines/ rose, and then with g^reat 

 care, as it is extremely easy to swill all one's seed - 

 many of which are exceedingly minute — to one side of 

 the pot, if not, indeed, out of it altogether. 



Except in frosty weather I .always keep the glass 

 light o\\ in\- seetl iVame. but so r.'iisetl .'is to exchule 



rain .ind yet .admit .lir. When it is frosty or snow 

 threatens I remove the light so us to give full play to 

 the hidden forces which the low temperature is supposed 

 to bring to bear upon the seeds, and certainly when 

 the thaw comes it is freipienlly accompanied by a rapid 

 germination. 



If birds are likely to prove iiujuisitlve, il is by no 

 means a bad plan to replace the light with a wire- 

 netting covereil frame, otherwise our precious seeds 

 may form a ilainty repast for our hard-driven feathered 

 friends, instead of starting to germin;iti' under the 

 snow covering. 



When a goodly ntnnber of seedlings in any one pot 

 are up, it is well to remove it to a frame where more 

 air can be given, so as to harden the tissues of the 

 infant leaves prior to handling them in pricking off, 

 which latter I do irrespective of the time of year, 

 though keeping them fairly close again to recover from 

 the transplanting. 



The greatest care should be exercised in hanilling 

 the tiny seedlings, and they should be planted firmly, 

 though not roughl}' into, say. thumb pots, three in 

 each, round the edge. 



.Sometimes when any given batch has germinated 

 more freely than usual, one wonders whether it is 

 worth while pricking them all out when our own 

 requirements are small. 



I quite agree that "pricking ofl " is not a \ery 

 soothing occupation, especially when the plants are 

 about the size of .'i pin head, as is the case with many of 

 the encrusted Saxifriigas. when we remember, however, 

 the great pleasure we obtain and confer, by passing 

 on these small treasures to other gardeners later in 

 the season, we shall, I think, hesitate to throw away 

 even our surplus, unless it is of the very commonest 

 plants, in which case we are li.ardly likely to raise them ■ 

 from seetl. 



It is, 1 think, advisable to prick olV these seedlings 

 as soon as if is fcally possible to gel hold of them, and 

 with some plants, suchas-Saxifraga longifolia, S. Gries- 

 bachii, .S. thessalica and Drabas, they ;ire extremely 

 miiuite. but I have found that they sulfermuch less than if 

 allowed to remain till tlie\' are larger, when their roots 

 will have extended similarly and have become inter- 

 woven with those of neigbouring plants, to the detri- 

 ment of both. 



Plants like ICrinacea pungens, most of the .\nemonies, 

 Onasmas, and Rosa alpina make an enormously long 

 root, often when the Cotyledons are only one-eighth 

 of an inch above ihe soil the roots will be two, three 

 and four inches long, and frequently almost fibre- 

 less. -Any damage to the point of this checks very con- 

 siderably, if it does not kill, the plant, hence the ad- 

 visability of earl>' "pricking oil." 



It is well to bear in mind that many .Vlpine seeds 

 have the quality of lying ilormant for a very consider- 

 able time, and no pot containing valuable seed should 

 be thrown away luider two years. Often when a pot 

 is given up .is hopeless — nothing having appeared 

 during, say. twelve or sixteen months— suddenly, for 

 no apparent reason, quite a good crop will spring to 

 light, so that it behoves us to be patient with our .\lpine 

 babies, if they do not appear as rapidly as we consider 

 desir.-ible. 



