PROPAGATION OF SWEET PEAS 61 



may begin quite early in the year to increase their 

 stocks. 



A sowing made under glass will very soon bring into 

 being quite a number of plants ; and if this be done in 

 January, as the days begin to appreciably lengthen, pro- 

 pagation may commence in sufficient time to ensure the 

 production of a large number of useful plants by the 

 planting-out period in April. 



Loam and leaf mould in equal parts, and this passed 

 through a sieve with a half-inch mesh, will make a suitable 

 compost. A sprinkling of coarse silver sand should be 

 added, to assist the drainage of the soil and to keep it 

 open. Some propagators prefer a much larger proportion 

 of loam. Sow the seeds thinly in deep three-inch pots, 

 maintaining the soil at all times in a nicely moist condition. 

 A gentle bottom heat will suffice to assist the process of 

 germination and this may be encouraged by making the 

 propagating frame fairly air-tight. The glass covering 

 or frame-light should be removed occasionally, to carry 

 off superfluous moisture. As soon as the seedling plants 

 are well through the soil, less close conditions of the 

 propagating frames should be made to prevail in order 

 to encourage a more sturdy form of growth. Cuttings 

 may be detached from the plants when they are some 

 six inches, or thereabouts, in height. The cuttings 

 should be about three inches in length and the lower 

 leaf trimmed off in each instance, preparatory to its in- 

 sertion in soil similar to that mentioned above, to which 

 should be added more silver sand. As each cutting is 

 dibbled in, press the soil firmly at its base, as this is a 

 most important factor in successful propagation. Water 

 in with slightly tepid water from a fine-rosed can, and 

 return to the propagating frame. Within a fortnight, 

 more or less according to the bottom heat afforded, the 

 cuttings will have rooted. They must then be gradually 

 inured to less enervating conditions, and later on placed 



