28 FLOWER-GARDENING. 



spring, on borders or beds of pulverized earth. The beds 

 should be levelled, and the seed sown either in small patches, 

 each kind by itself, or in drills, from an eighth to half an inch 

 deep, according to the size .or nature of the seed. Lupins, 

 Peas, &amp;lt;fec., should be planted about half an inch deep. Those 

 who would have their plants flower early should sow the hardy 

 kinds early in the season. Those varieties marked thus f , and 

 thus , may be sown in boxes or pots of light earth, at the 

 same time. These, if exposed to the sun every day, and shel 

 tered in cold nights, will be forwarded in growth, and be fit to 

 transplant early in June. Those marked* may also be sown in 

 small pots ; and as these plants will not bear transplanting, they 

 should be turned out of the pots with the balls of earth entire, 

 and placed in the ground where they are intended to flower ; 

 or, if the seed be sown in a bed with other kinds, the plants 

 should be carefully transplanted with a trowel, without disturb 

 ing their roots. 



HOW TO GROW EARLY FLOWERS. 



The most eligible way to obtain early flowers is to prepare 

 a slight hotbed for the tender kinds, and either plunge the 

 pots therein up to their brims, or sow the seed in the earth in 

 shallow drills, not more than a quarter of an inch deep. It 

 may be necessary to state that, although, in favorable seasons, 

 flower seed in general will come up in from one to three weeks 

 after it is sown, the seed of the Cypress vine will not grow 

 until settled warm weather, unless in a hotbed. It should be 

 soaked for about half an hour in moderately warm water pre 

 vious to being sown. If some of the hardy annuals be sown 

 in September, they will grow large enough to survive the 

 winter, if slightly covered with straw or litter; and if plants 

 thus raised be transplanted early in the spring, they will pro 

 duce very early flowers. 



