THE HOME FLORIST. 13 



May, open drills not too deep and drop in the seed ; draw in fine earth and beat it down a 

 little with the hoe or spade. Where whole or parts of beds are sown with a single kind of 

 seed, they may be scattered broadcast, covering with light sandy soil, sprinkled on with the 

 hand or through a fine sieve, or a slight raking will answer the same purpose. Never cover 

 seeds of any kind too deep. Failures often arise from this cause alone. I consider the old 

 rule of covering twice the depth of their own diameter to be reliable, and applicable to any 

 kind of sowing. As soon as seedlings have made a second growth of leaves, they should be 

 thinned to a distance which will give each plant space sufficient to develop in size. Pansies, 

 Hollyhocks, Delphiniums and a few others, by sowing in August and September, will flower the 

 next year, and earlier than if their sowing is deferred until spring. These should be slightly cov- 

 ered at the approach of cold weather. For further remarks on time of sowing various seeds in 

 the open ground, see Weekly Classification of Work for May, June, July, August and September. 

 Most other seed-grown plants, besides those named above, are benefited by being trans- 

 planted, and should be started in a prepared seed-bed, cold-frame, hot-bed, or a box in the 

 house. In either case, a rich, light, sandy loam should be used, as with plants intended for 

 removal when they have attained a certain size, an abundance of fibrous roots is of import- 

 ance, which can never be obtained if the seedlings are brought forward in a soil of a hard 

 "bakey" character. Decomposed grass sods from a sandy meadow make excellent soil for 

 this purpose. 



Hot-Beds, Cold-Frames and Seed-Beds. Every family possessing a garden 

 ought to have a hot-bed, even if it be only small, in which to start their seedling plants, Dahlia 

 roots, Tuberose bulbs, etc., and also to root cuttings. Tender annuals and vegetables of all 

 kinds for planting could be had three or four weeks earlier than if the seeds were sown in the 

 open ground, thus advancing their season of maturity materially. A hot-bed is made by form- 

 ing a pile of fresh strawy horse manure some three 

 feet in height, slightly elevated at what is to 

 be the back end of the bed. As a number of 

 loads will be required for an ordinary sized bed, 

 it may be necessary to gather up manure for the 

 purpose for some time previous to using it, in 

 which case the accumulations should be kept 

 from the wet under cover, and be frequently over- 

 turned to check its heating before needed. The 

 bed may be sunk a foot or eighteen inches in 

 the ground, if drained, and should be a foot larger 

 Fig. 1 6. Hot Bed. each way than the frame which is to be used. The 



manure should be well trodden down to prevent settling when finished. Lying thus causes it 

 to ferment, which fermentation produces the lasting bottom heat that warms the soil and renders 

 the bed essentially a miniature greenhouse. After the manure is in shape, the frame, which 

 should be made of i^" or i^ inch plank 18 inches wide, can be placed on at once and filled in 

 with about four or five inches of light soil well enriched with fine manure. Banking up over 

 the projecting portion of the manure on the outside with ground, will tend to confine the heat 

 to the inside of the frame, and will also improve the appearance of the bed by .hiding the 

 manure. Keep the sash closed until the heat has warmed the soil well. Then better wait a 

 day or two before sowing the seed. I prefer sowing in drills, about two or three inches apart, 

 running across the bed. Care, however, is required in clear weather to prevent the heat rising 

 to an injurious temperature. Abundant air should be given when the sun shines, by moving 

 the sash up or down. The safest way is to be governed by a thermometer, which should be 

 placed where the sun's rays will not strike it ; keep the temperature as near sixty degrees in the 

 shade as possible. When the mercury indicates higher than that point, give air ; when below 

 as it will in frosty nights cover with mats. By being attentive in this matter, seeds that 

 were sown in April will have become thrifty, well-tempered plants by the latter part of May. 



The principal advantages of a hot-bed maybe secured by what is called a Cold-Frame. This 

 is formed without manure, by placing the hot-bed frame upon a bed of soil in some sheltered 

 place in the garden, protected from cold M'inds. Do not start the cold-frame until the latter 

 part of April in this latitude, as we depend wholly on the sun for heating it. It requires much 

 the same care with reference to airing on sunny days, and protecting with mats in cold nights, as 

 does the hot-bed. Both should be watered occasionally when the soil demands it. 



Many readers of the FLORIST can have neither of these conveniences. By starting a week or 

 two later, seeds may be sown in a bed of good, mellow soil, made in some warm, sunny spot 

 about the house, with good results. On the east or south side of a building is just the place, where 

 the sun's rays reflected on the building, causes the bed to be some degrees warmer, consequently 

 earlier than if made out in an open space. I will here remark, that all seeds come up sooner 

 for having the ground shaded with shutters, mats, or perhaps, better than all, paper, until the 

 shoots have reached the surface, when the covering must be removed at once. 



Transplanting. I prefer to transplant seedling plants with a dibble or pointed 

 stick, and pot grown plants with a garden trowel, just before or after a shower. Sometimes 

 transplanting must be done in a dry spell. The best way then, is to plant carefully towards 



