APRIL. 



628 



APRIL. 



*nd the heat of the sun increases, watering 

 must be resorted to freely, and the air of 

 the house moistened by sprinkling the 

 floor, and, on hot days, even the stages 

 and shelves, liberally with water from a pot 

 with a fine rose, or with a syringe. By this 

 means undue detraction of moisture from 

 the pats and plants by the heat of the sun's 

 rays will be prevented. 



Temperature. The shading to which 

 reference has been made is chiefly neces- 

 sary, it should be said, to plants in blossom 

 and coming into bloom, and to those mak- 

 ing young growth after flowering, pelar- 

 goniums excepted. Air should be given 

 freely, due care being taken to prevent all 

 draughts, which tend to check plants that 

 are exposed to them. A minimum tem- 

 perature from 40 to 45 should be main- 

 tained, rising from 50 to 60 under the 

 influence of the sun's rays. It must be 

 borne in mind that this is the temperature 

 to be maintained with admission of air and 

 shading. 



April. Hotbeds, Frames, &c., 

 Work in. 



i. FOR FLOWERS IN HOTBEDS, &c. 

 The culture of flowers in beds of this 

 description will be mainly confined to the 

 treatment of tender annuals for transfer to 

 the open air as soon as the temperature of 

 the air out of doors permits. 



Anmtals, Tender. Tender annuals 

 should now be sown in heat, and half- 

 hardy ones in cold frames. Pot or prick 

 off any that may be up. Balsams,. cocks- 

 combs, and globe amaranths, still require 

 heat, and should be kept near the glass, to 

 prevent being drawn up. 



Annuals, Tender ; &*<:., How to Sow. 

 A word or two on the mode of sowing 

 annuals, &c., may not be out of season. 

 Light sandy soil should be used, placed in 

 a pot filled to one-third of its height with 

 crocks broken up small, over which a little 



moss or a few dead leaves should be placed te 

 prevent the earth from filling up the spaces 

 between the pieces. Fill the pots to the 

 brim, and press down the earth to render 

 it as firm as possible, and see that the 

 surface is level. Sprinkle a little seed 

 over the surface thus prepared, sift a little 

 fine earth over the seed, and again press 

 the surface with the bottom of a pot or 

 saucer. Give no water until the plants 

 appear, and then sprinkle the young plants 

 with a very fine rose, so that they may not 

 be washed out of the soil, or their hold of 

 it loosened, by heavy drops of water falling 

 on them. A suitable temperature for such 

 seedlings is from 55 to 60. Give air freely 

 on hot days, and on cold nights prevent the 

 reduction of the temperature to an undue 

 degree by covering the glass with mats. 



Annuals, Tender, Transplanting. 

 Plants from seed sown last month should 

 now be pricked out three or four inches 

 apart on a fresh hotbed ; on this they will 

 grow without interfering with each other 

 for three or four weeks. At the end of 

 this time they must either be transplanted 

 to a fresh hotbed, or thinned by removing 

 every second plant. Shade from the sun 

 till rooted, after which give air every day, 

 and water whenever the plants seem to 

 flag. As the plants approach the glass, 

 et the frames be raised about six inches, 

 repeating the operation from time to time, 

 so as to keep the plants a few inches from 

 the glass. A hotbed for this removal, 

 made in the usual manner, should have 

 seven inches' depth of earth laid equally 

 over it ; the plants carefully removed with 

 a ball of earth round the roots, and re- 

 planted six inches apart, or singly in pots, 

 to be plunged into hotbeds ; the whole 

 being lightly watered to settle the earth 

 about the roots. 



Auriculas, Carnations, Pansies, Poly- 

 anthuses. All these flowers, when grown 

 in pots in pits and frames, will require 



