THE PANSY. 



191 



humus — decomposed forest leaves, spent 

 hops, etc. Cover the seed lig-htly and evenly, 

 keep moist and secure ag-ainst trouble by 

 placing" leafless branches over the bed, and 

 follow^ the line of culture herein indicated. 



I perfer sowing- the seed in boxes indoors, 

 because boxes do not absorb the moisture 

 so quickly as crockery, etc., less attention 

 is required, and the seed is too precious to 

 be exposed to loss and disaster from depre- 

 dations of cats, hens and dog's, and possibly 

 frolicsome children. The box in which the 

 seed should be sown may be about 2)^ 

 inches deep, and of width and length to 

 suit your purpose, as, in the same box> 

 within properly defined limits, you may sow 

 other seeds, and thus make one vessel do. 

 It would be advisable ' to sift or make fine 

 the entire compost for the box so that the 

 fine rootlets may run freely and be taken out 

 in transplanting- without much damage. 

 No soil is better for this purpose than a 

 well rotted loamy turf sod, reduced to fine 

 tilth, mixed with a little fine sand and leaf 

 mould. Fill your box to within y', inch of 

 the top, then take a shingle or piece of 

 smooth board and press the soil firmly to an 

 even surface. On this scatter your seed 

 not too thickly, use a clean side of your 

 shingle, glass or board, and press down the 

 seed evenly and firmly, after which cover 

 with a very fine soil, and to the depth of 

 three times the size of the seed. This is a 

 pretty safe rule to follow in all seed sowing, 

 excepting in the case of very fine seeds, such 

 as calceolario, musk, begonia, which 

 scatter thinly upon the top of the soil to 

 which could have been added a little moss 

 dried, rubbed very fine and mixed in the soil 

 near the top. The process indicated for 

 pansy seed sowing is equally good for 

 primulas, auricula, cinneraria, cyclamen, 

 polyanthus, etc. 



This being done, water should be given 

 in a very fine spray to prevent washing the 

 covering off the seed. If you do this 



liberally at brief intervals for a few hours at 

 the start, then cover with thick paper and 

 place in a position not too much exposed to 

 sun and air by out of doors, not in danger 

 from storm, and you will be spared much 

 trouble, and germination will be evident in 

 a few days if the seed be new and fresh. 

 Preserve moisture thus, if dried, spray again, 

 and you will soon behold the evidence of 

 upspringing life. Do not altogether uncover 

 at once, but bring to the light gradually, 

 never into a very bright sun, especially 

 through glass. At this stage be quite sure 

 that the seedlings get fresh air in some way, 

 and do not be tempted to have them too 

 wet, more especially so as they begin to 

 cover the soil and crowd each other for 

 room. The main thing now is to secure a 

 strong, stocky growth in the seedling, as 

 nothing so much militates against success 

 in growing a good show plant of the royal 

 "heart's ease" as to allow it to run to a 

 single stem, weak and elongated. 



As soon as they are in the four or six leaf 

 they should be transplanted into a bed or 

 frame, that has been specially prepared for 

 them in the meantime, with well enriched 

 soil, deeply dug, thoroughly pulverized and 

 stirred with the hoe or rake to destroy ger- 

 minating weeds. Cow byre manure is 

 preferable as a fertilizer. 



Into this bed transplant the seedlings six 

 inches apart each way. Care should be 

 taken that the rootlets are nicely spread and 

 not bundled together in the planting. A 

 careful watering, in the absence of a timely 

 rain, is now in order, so that the growth of 

 the pansy be not checked by wind or sun. 

 I like to get through this operation in the 

 early evening. Two things departing from 

 this point should be carefully noted : First, 

 use the hoe very diligently to keep down 

 weeds, conserve moisture, and excite nit- 

 rification of the soil. Second, as soon as the 

 precocious plant gives evidence of its 

 blooming character pick oflf every bud and 



