42 ROGK GARDENING FOR AMATEURS 



offer seeds of alpines in late summer, and it is really 

 preferable to purchase them then. It is better to sow 

 the seeds in pots or pans placed in a cool greenhouse 

 or frame than to risk them out of doors. Suitable soil 

 consists of loam and leaf-soil in equal parts, silver sand 

 being freely intermixed. The ingredients should be 

 mixed together well and passed through a small-meshed 

 sieve ; the rough part will be found useful for placing on 

 the crocks in the flower-pots or pans. Pans are really 

 preferable, and far more convenient than pots, since 

 they are wide and shallow. Whether pans or pots are 

 used they should be clean and well drained, and made 

 about half full of crocks (pieces of broken flower-pot). 

 It is an advantage to sterilise the soil by heating it in 

 an oven or in an old saucepan over the fire, then no 

 trouble with insect pests is to be feared. A thin layer 

 of moss on the crocks is often recommended because 

 it retains moisture so well. Finally, the pots are filled 

 almost to the rim with prepared soil mixture, this being 

 pressed down fairly firmly with a flat piece of wood. 

 It is best to water the pots of soil an hour or two before 

 the seeds are sown. 



Depth to Sow. The common rule is to cover the 

 seeds to a depth of about twice their thickness, which 

 means, of course, that tiny seeds are not covered at all. 

 The merest sprinkling of sand is found sufficient for 

 these. To avoid losses by damping off and to ensure 

 the development of sturdy seedlings, the seeds should 

 be sown thinly ; moreover, if thick sowing is practised, 



