TIMELY TOPICS FOR THE AMATEUR. 



153 



or hotbed, to the uncertain and variable 

 temperature usually experienced out of doors 

 in spring- and early summer. Careful water- 

 ings and shading the young plants from the 

 hot sun for a few hours at mid-day, is gen- 

 erally necessary for a day or two after bring- 

 ing them from the greenhouse or hotbed. 

 A little protection on cold nights is also ad- 

 visable for a time, until the plants have be- 

 come accustomed to the changed condition 

 of their surroundings. This hardening-off 

 process as it is termed, is not however as a 

 rule quite as difficult with plants raised in 

 pots in a window, as it is with those raised 

 in a greenhouse or hotbed. 



The most natural, and probably the most 

 certain methods to grow annuals is either to 

 sow the seed in the open border, or to sow 

 them in a cold-frame or seed bed specially 

 prepared for them out-of-doors. The latter 

 method is probably the best, as the young 

 seedling's can be better attended to in the first 

 stagfes of their growth in a small frame, 

 than if sown in the open ground. A few 

 varieties such as stocks, mignonette and 

 nasturtiums should be sown in pots, a few 

 seeds in each pot, and grown on in these un- 

 til ready for transplanting into the border, 

 as these varieties do not transplant as suc- 

 cessfully as many others if the roots are dis- 

 turbed in transplanting them. Castor oil 

 beans (Ricinus) should be planted singly in 

 three inch pots. These latter succeed best 

 started in a warm place either in a hotbed 

 or greenhouse, or in the window. Early in 

 June is soon enough to plant the ricinus out 

 of doors, and even later than that in late 

 seasons, as a slight chill ruins these tender 

 plants very quickly. 



The cold frame mentioned for raising an- 

 nuals can be easily made by nailing some 

 pieces of i x 12 inch board together, so as 

 to make a frame of the required size. Quite 

 a quantity of seedling annuals can be raised 

 in a very small space in this manner, as a bed 

 two or three feet square will provide an 



ample supply of plants for an ordinary sized 

 garden. A sash is not necessary except 

 perhaps on very cold nights or days. Some 

 slats laid across the frame and covered with 

 thick matting in cold stormy weather will 

 answer almost as well as a sash, and is very 

 much safer. Unless the sash is carefully 

 shaded and either lifted off or tilted up on 

 hot sunny days, it is a source of danger. 

 Neglect in attending to shading and ventil- 

 ating frames where sash is used, has ac- 

 counted for the sudden destruction of many 

 promising batches of young seedling plants. 



About the middle or end of April, or per- 

 haps early in May will be soon enough — if 

 the season is late — to sow most annuals and 

 biennials out-of-doors as before mentioned. 



The frame should be placed in a warm, 

 sheltered sunny position of the border, and 

 about six inches of light rich loamy soil put 

 into it. Banking up the frame on the out- 

 side with manure or soil will not only assist 

 in keeping out the cold, but also prevent the 

 soil inside from drying out around the 

 edges. As soon as the soil is sufficiently 

 dry and friable to work easily without clog- 

 ging, the seed can be sown. Drills of the 

 required depth and about two inches apart 

 will be found to be the most convenient for 

 sowing the seed in. 



Aster, zinnia, stock, and seeds of a similar 

 size to these should be sown ]^ of an inch 

 deep, whilst smaller seeds such as campan- 

 ula media, antirrhinum, etc., should only be 

 barely covered with soil. Use a watering 

 pot having a very fine rose or sprinkler for 

 watering these small seeds so as to prevent 

 rinsing. 



The pots of stock and nasturtium seeds, 

 should be plunged up to the rim in the soil. 

 This plunging process will prevent them 

 from drying out too rapidly, a condition that 

 is dangerous to the young seedlings ; and 

 one that is hard to avoid unless the pots 

 are plunged so as to prevent it. Mignonette 

 is best sown in the open ground where it is 



