THE GARDEN WEEK BY WEEK 



April In such circumstances it is wise to wait for better weather 

 I"I5 — even if it means sowing as late as May. Grass seed 

 may go in whenever the ground has been warmed by 

 spring sun, is moist, and crumbles to a fine tilth under 

 the rake ; the ground should be firm, perfectly level, and 

 free from stones. The seed should be sprinkled evenly 

 over the surface on a still day (in windy weather it would 

 be blown into heaps) at the rate of about three-quarters 

 of a pound per square rod. Afterwards the ground 

 should be scratched over with a rake to partially cover 

 the seed, trodden or rolled, and protected from birds 

 with black thread strung a few inches above the surface, 

 or fish netting, or scares. It is absolutely essential to 

 keep off the birds somehow, otherwise they will have the 

 greater part of the seed, and what is left will be unable 

 to give a plant strong enough to outgrow the various 

 weeds that are likely to thrust themselves forward. It is 

 a good plan to regularly roll the young Grass from the 

 time that it is an inch high. When it is three inches 

 high, the tops should be cut or clipped off. The mowing 

 machine ought not to be put on until the Grass begins 

 to thicken at the base. This means that the roots are 

 spreading and throwing up fresh Grass. 



Begonia Gloire de Lorraine. — If this beautiful winter- 

 flowering Begonia was rested and cut back after flowering, 

 it ought now to be throwing up young shoots. These 

 may be taken off as cuttings when they are two or three 

 inches long, and inserted in sandy soil. They quickly 

 1 root if placed over bottom heat, and make good flowering 



plants by the autumn. 



Sowing Cinerarias. — Seed of Cinerarias may be sown 

 in a hot-bed frame or heated greenhouse for giving plants 

 to flower next winter. 



Startijtg and Propagating Fuchsias. — One finds, in 

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