Seo. 31.] 



THE FLOWER-GARnES. 



501 



" In soil of an opposite cliaractcr, ?'. <•., sandj or calcareous, tlic remedv 

 will obviously consist in the addition of loam, in conjunction with dccari'd 

 leaves or old rotten manure ; or where expense is no object, tlic surface mar 

 be entirely removed to the depth of eijrht or ten inches, and its place sui>- 

 plied with the best loamy compost at hand. The use of strong crude manure 

 of an animal nature sliould be avoided. In ordinarily good soil an annual 

 light dressing of leaf-mold, decayed turf, or thoroughly rotten nmnnre, in 

 quantities jiroportioiicd to the re<iuirements «{ the soil, dug to the depth of 

 a few inches, will be all that is requisite. These should be applied in s]iring, 

 only just previous to sowing the seeds, or much of the benefit resulting from 

 tlicir application will be lost, though a single digging may be advuntngi-<jiis!v 

 given in autumn. In preparing tiie beds, care must be taken that they are 

 60 arranged that the ground may bo a little elevated in the middle, that tho 

 water may run off and the jdants show to a better advantage. 



" It is particularly re(iuisite that seeds should not be hovm too deep, 

 whence arises most of the failures of inexperienced gardeners. Tlic depth 

 at which seeds are sown will vary with their size ; large sei'd*, such as thoto 

 of the Lupins, Sweet Pea, or Marvel of Peru, may be three quarters of an 

 inch deep; other varieties from an eighth to a half-inch deep, according to 

 the size or nature of the seed. Some that are very small require to Ihj sown 

 on the actual surface, a sligiit pressure being then sufficient to imbed them to 

 a proper depth. For the majority of the seeds a very thin covering sutlices ; 

 if sowed too deep, they are longer in germinating, and the small ones are 

 liable to decay. It sometimes insures a more even distriliution of very hniall 

 seeds, such as those of Campanula, Digitalis, etc., if tluy are intimately 

 mixed before sowing with a little fine, dry soil, the mixture U-ing sown in 

 the same way as the seeds. "Woolly seeds, which adhere to each other, like 

 the Globe Amaranthus, etc., should be rubbed with a little fine sand, which 

 will generally sej-arate thorn. In all cases, the more thinly the see^ls aro 

 strewn the better; when too thickly sown, tho seedlings become elon- 

 gated and sickly, an evil which no subsequent thinning out will entirely 



remedy. 



"If the soil be dry and the weather sunny, it will \>c necessary to water 

 the seeds slightly from a very fine r..^e watering-l>ot. Rain-water in ynk-r- 

 able. In the absence of rain, this application must be re|Mfated every day 

 or two, for it is important to observe that, when onco tho »*-i-»l» Imve bej;un 

 to swell, thev are i.eculiarlv susceptible to injury from drouth, and will »|kkhI- 

 ily perish unless the soil be maintained in a moist condition; to a neglect 

 of this important precaution, many failures arc solely altribut.il.le. On tho 

 other hand, an excess of moisture previous to germination will often rau»o 

 the seed to decav, especially in cold seasons; early in tho .pnng, Ihercforo, 

 the water-pot must bo used with judgn.ent, and never lato in tho day. wbco 



frosts threaten." . i « i «., 1 



AVe have found the practice of warming water in tho .un or by nnvb«l , 

 very much preferablo to tho use of cold water. As it rv^imrv. iho very fio«*t 



