The Canadian llortiiitltnrist. 

 SOW FLOWER SEEDS IN COLD FRAMES. 



lO^ 



FOR the propergermination of seeds 

 of all kinds, two things, heat and 

 moisture, are absolutely necessary. If 

 the soil is wet and cold, many kinds rot, 

 and if too warm and dry the seed will 

 not sprout, or if they do the tender 

 sprouts burn up before they reach the 

 surface. Hotb^'ds are very useful for 

 forwarding of ])lants, but inexperienced 

 persons had better not attempt to start 

 seeds in them, unkss they are willing 

 to learn by dear-bought experience just 

 how to manage them, until they have 

 become familiar with the management 

 of a cold frame. A cold frame possesses 

 nearly all the advantages of a hot-bed 

 and is the very best plan for starting 

 flower seeds. It is made by making a 

 frame of four boards, the back one 

 about a foot to i8 inches wide, and 

 sloping to six inches in front. This is 

 to be placed on a nicely prepared bed 

 in some warm, sheltered spot in the 

 garden, like the south side of a building 

 or fence, and covered with glass, either 

 regular hotbed sash, or, if these 

 are not to be had, common window 

 sash. 



Make the soil in the frame very fine, 

 and press it down quite hard and 

 smooth with a board or the back of a 

 hoe, and then sow the seeds on the 

 surface, broadcast, thinly and evenly, 

 in squares that have been marked out. 

 This is a much better way than to sow 

 them in drills. Label each sort with a 

 short stick stuck in the ground. After they 

 are all sowed cover them with soil of a 

 light, sandy nature, that has been sifted 

 through a sieve, by carefully sprinkling 

 it over them, covering each set to a 

 depth corresponding to the size of the 

 seeds. Many fail with seeds because 

 they cover them too deep. Very small 

 seeds, like petunia and portulaca, 

 should not be covered more than a 

 sixteenth or eighth of an inch, and 

 aster, verbena, and seeds of like size, 

 not more than a quarter of an inch. In 

 sowing the seeds it is well to sow the 

 largest kinds in one end of the frame 

 and the smaller ones in the other. 



which will make the covering of them 

 to the proper depth easier. After the 

 seeds are all covered, [jress down the 

 soil quite hard and firm. 



After the seeds are covered give 

 them a good watering, using a very 

 fine sprinkler so as not to wash the soil 

 from the seeds. The sash should now 

 be put on, and be kept tightly closed 

 until the plants begin to come up, but 

 if the surface shows the least sign of 

 drying up, it should be watf^red as often 

 as necessary to prevent it. After the 

 plants are up, the sash should be partly 

 removed in the middle of bright, 

 warm days, and protected from frost at 

 night with boards, or straw if the 

 weather is cold. 



The time required for seeds to ger- 

 minate varies very much ; some, like 

 aster and zinnia, germinate in five or 

 six days, in a warm soil, while others 

 require two or three weeks, and some a 

 month or more. Some, like verbena 

 and geranium, are very uneven about 

 germinating, some coming up in two 

 weeks and others make their appear- 

 ance daily for several weeks or months. 



As a cold-frame depends on the sun 

 for heat, it should not be started before 

 .=\pril in this latitude ; my rule is from 

 the lo'ih to the 2oth of the month. The 

 plants will then be quite large enough 

 to transplant to the open ground as 

 soon as danger from freezing is 

 over. Many persons have good success 

 by sowing seeds in boxes in the house, 

 but it is much easier and less trouble 

 to grow them in frames, and the plants 

 are much more stalky and bear finer 

 flowers. 



I now make it a rule to grow every- 

 thing that will bear transplanting in 

 frames, and find it much the cheapest 

 way, saving much work and seed. 

 Some seeds have a hard, horny coat, 

 like cypress vine, geranium and per- 

 ennial peas, and must be well soaked in 

 warm water to make them germinate, 

 (/anna seeds should have hot water 

 poured on them and be soaked a week 

 in warm water. — Farm and Home. 



