Seo. 31.] THE FLOWER-GARDEN. 503 



571. Cultivation of Hardy Annuals.— IlarJy annuals arc those plants tliat 



flower and ripen tlieir fruits aiid perisli in one season, hut many of tlu-in 

 may Tic sown in autinnn to flower early tlio next year. Hardy annuiilsi 

 f;iow without artifieial heat, and come to perfection in the open grounds; 

 hut what arc known as half hardy plants need ])U5hinfT a little, except in 

 very favorable localities. Tender and small Beeded varieties sometimeti fail, 

 not on account of the had growinjj jiroperties of the seeds, but solely from 

 bad uianagcment. Delicate seeds, like the Calceolaria, or Cliinese primrose, 

 must not be sown in the open ground. One ])arty complained tiiat honio 

 fine 6ecds failed to grow which were sown from one to two inches deep- 

 literally buried. The most inexperienced in gardening matters can sow sweet 

 peas, hut it requires a practiced hand to look after such delicate seeds aa 

 Calceolaria, Cineraria, Fuchsia, and such like. 



Many persons think that when they make a hole in the soil with n trowel, 

 and throw in such small seed as Mignonette, that it should bo sure to grow ; 

 and if it docs not, they lay the blame U])on the seed, when in nine cases out 

 of ten tlie fault is in sowing too deep. The proper depth for planting ll.wcr 

 seeds is hut little more than their diameter, thongli Lupino and Sweet IVus 

 may be jilantcd one inch deep ; but such small soinU as Portulaca and Mi.j- 

 nonettc require to be sown almost upon the surface of the soil. Some wt-d 

 are difi^icult to germinate. Cypress seed require to bo soaked in warm wa- 

 ter about one hour. The seeds of the Globe Amaranthu* are covend with 

 a thick woolly substance, which greath' retards germination, and if planted 

 without soaking, few, if any, will come up. 'Hie most convenient mcilwxl 

 of sowing annuals is to take a round-pointed stick, with which draw a circle 

 six or eight inches in diameter, and from an eighth of an inch to an inch 

 deep, according to the size of the seed to be sown, jdacing a label with the 

 name in the center. Tiio labels ought to be live or six inches long, paint,-<l 

 white, and marked with a lead pencil before the paint gets dry ; in tlii« war 

 the name will last a long time. Larkspurs, and many of the lianly nmuials 

 when sown late in autumn, lie dormant all winter, thereby making mu.li 

 stronger jilants, and flowering earlier than tlu>so sown in spring. Tl.o 

 dwarf Rocket Larkspurs, when sown on tho edges of the Uirdcrs, prwscnt a 

 beautiful sight with their various colors ; tho sectl rcpiirea to be sown in 

 October, and protected i.y a sliglit covering of straw during winter, rhlox 

 Prummondii are of all shades and colors; they delight in a mo>,t and 

 shaded situation ; seed sown one eighth of an inch deep m May, bU-.u. from 



June until October. ,. , . i i. 



572 Mst of Cholff Annnals.-Tl.o following choice li.t of hardy annuaU 



was made by Thomas Cavanach, a practical. M-uMhle Horicu tnn.t .n Bnjok. 



lyn, N. Y. It is worthy of tho attenUoa of all who doa.rv to bcaul.fy ihcr 



"' W''V. /-.>M, or nine I^. (7ro.v.-Sc.l sown in Mar. bloonu 

 in July ; likes a rich soil and moist situation ; su.tab e for v^-;*- 



Ahralia U,nbeUaia.-\ very pretty annual, with long tradmg tom^ 



