Strawberry Sunflower 



be allowed to become dry. Should the leaves once droop they seldom 

 recover. At least twice a day the plants will need attention, and it 

 is important that the water should be of the same temperature as 

 the atmosphere. Always leave the cans full in readiness for the next 

 visit. 



Alpine Strawberries. To grow Strawberries from seed is an 

 interesting business, and should be systematically practised to insure 

 a supply of the delicate Alpine varieties. The seed may be sown as 

 soon as gathered, or may be kept until spring. Being remarkably 

 hardy, it is an easy matter to raise plants in an open bed of light 

 rich soil, by sowing the seeds in shallow drills six inches apart. 

 They should be transplanted to proper beds for fruiting, the soil 

 being rather lighter and finer than for the larger kinds of Strawberries. 

 But it is better practice to sow the seed in pans filled with a light 

 rich compost, consisting of turfy loam, leaf-mould, and rotten hot- 

 bed manure, and assist germination with a gentle heat. From these 

 pans the plants should be pricked out in a bed of light soil in a 

 frame, or on a nearly exhausted hot-bed, whence they should be 

 taken to the open ground to remain for fruiting. From spring-sown 

 seeds thus treated a moderate crop may be obtained in the autumn, 

 and a full crop the following year, after which the plants should 

 be destroyed, a succession being kept up by sowing annually. By 

 slowly growing from spring-sown seeds and potting in autumn, it 

 is not a difficult matter to have Alpines in fruit under glass at 

 Christmas. 



SUNFLOWER 



Helianthus animus 



ALTHOUGH the Sunflower is not utilised as food for man, the plant 

 is frequently grown in the Kitchen Garden, partly as an ornament, 

 but chiefly for the production of seeds which are given to poultry. 



As regards cultivation, sow in pans in April, and put on a gentle 

 hot-bed, or shut up close in a sunny frame. The plants will soon 

 appear. Give them light and air, and plant out when they are two 

 or three inches high. But Sunflowers can be grown without any kind 

 of artificial aid. A simple and effectual method is to make the spot 

 intended for them very rich, and dibble the seed an inch deep on the 

 first day of May. 



K2 



