30 THE CULTURE OF POT-PLANTS 



but if these precautions are taken, no watering may be 

 necessary until germination commences, if then. At this 

 stage, however, seeds are in a critical condition. A very short 

 exposure to drought is sufficient to destroy them, and in 

 order that they should never be dry, it is a good plan to put 

 each pot inside a larger one lined with moss. If the nioss 

 is kept wet, the soil in the inner pot will remain moist for 

 many weeks. 



When the seeds are small, and especially when they are 

 likely to be slow in germinating, the soil should be sterilised. 

 This is early done by laying a piece of paper on the soil in 

 each pot to prevent its being disturbed, and then pouring 

 over it some boiling water until it runs freely out of the hole 

 at the bottom. The boiling water will destroy all spores 

 of moss, disease germs, seeds of weeds, and insects and their 

 eggs, so trouble from these causes will be avoided. The 

 pots should afterwards be left for a day or two to dry a little 

 before sowing. If they are new, it may be necessary to 

 mention that they should always be well soaked in water 

 before they are used. Unless this precaution is taken, they 

 abstract so much moisture from the soil put into them that 

 it becomes dangerously dry in a very short time. 



Even after the seedlings begin to appear, difficulties are 

 not at an end ; indeed, they rather increase. For as the 

 glass must then be raised and some light admitted, the soil 

 dries much more rapidly ; and if it is moistened again by 

 means of the water-can — even one with a very fine rose 

 — tiny seedlings are sure to be knocked down by the spray, 

 and will probably be destroyed. In such cases, the pots 

 should be immersed for a few minutes up to nearly the level 

 of the soil in a pail of water. Flooding must be avoided. As 

 soon as the surface shows signs of darkening as the result of 

 the rising water, the pots should be withdrawn. If then 

 returned to the moss, they should not need watering again 

 for a considerable time, provided, of course, that they are not 

 exposed to strong sunshine. 



Before the seedlings begin to crowd one another, two or 

 three of the strongest should be selected, and the others 



