29 



filled with decayed vegetable mould, plunged in a milk- 

 warm bottom heat. The temperature both of the soil 

 and atmosphere during this period, should not be high, 

 but such as to permit the plants to push gradually forth 

 from their dormitory, and assume by a natural process, 

 the functions of active vitality. In order to maintain 

 them in vigour of constitution, they should be exposed as 

 much as possible to light ; and that, by being placed near 

 the glass, so as to receive the rays as little broken and 

 refracted as possible. Water should not be applied at 

 all, until vegetation has manifested itself, and afterwards, 

 but sparingly, whilst the plants are young, especially in 

 prolonged periods of dull sunless weather. Plants which 

 are thus raised, should be planted out as soon as possi- 

 ble, when their fibres are least numerous, as a means of 

 avoiding in part, the injuries to which they are exposed 

 in transplantation. 



When the plan of depositing the seeds in the hillock 

 of soil is adopted, it is necessary to arrange the soil so 

 that any subsequent additions made to it, may not have 

 the effect of covering too deeply the roots of the plants, 

 neither of burying the neck of the stem beneath the sur- 

 face ; it should be arranged so that this latter may re- 

 main elevated above the surrounding soil on the top of a 

 slight mound, after the whole of the soil is adjusted for 

 the roots. I have already mentioned that the depth of 

 soil ought not to be at all considerable, but rather shal- 

 low than otherwise, so as to expose the roots as far as 

 possible to the influence of the sun. 



It will have been seen that the plan of raising young 

 plants from seeds, has both its advantages and its disad- 

 vantages ; and in order to avoid the latter, and secure 

 some of the former, the seeds should be sown early in 

 the autumn, whilst there is a sufficiency of heat and 

 light, to mature the growth they make previous to the 

 dull cheerless days which mark the near approach, and 



