282 STUDIES IN GARDENING 



No seedlings, of course, must be exposed to a hot sun, 

 but they should have as much light and air as possible 

 from the first. They always require careful watching 

 in their youth, and it is only by that means that the 

 gardener can learn how to treat them. He should 

 also know something of the habits of plants which 

 he wishes to raise from seed, as that knowledge will 

 give him some idea how much they ought to be watered, 

 how much sun they will endure, and what amount of 

 drainage and what kind of soil they will need. Of 

 course, in natural conditions, the seed germinates 

 near where the parent plant grows; and the gardener's 

 aim should be, not to depart entirely from these con- 

 ditions, but only to modify them so as to make germina- 

 tion more certain. 



These are only a few general hints on a very large 

 subject, but they may be of use, at any rate, to those 

 amateurs who have never themselves attempted the 

 most exciting and delightful of all gardening processes. 



