350 POPULAR GARDEN FLOWERS 



Propagation. The great majority of growers, for 

 garden and exhibition alike, raise their plants from seed, 

 and this is the method to be recommended. Cuttings 

 made out of the tips of young plants may, however, be 

 used if desired. They should be about three inches 

 long, and inserted firmly in moist, sandy soil in a box 

 that is covered with a square of glass and put in a shady 

 part of the greenhouse. The removal of the tips does 

 not hurt the plants, indeed some growers systematically 

 stop their plants, not because they want cuttings, but in 

 order to make them break from the base. Seed-buyers 

 will find that the seed of all varieties is not alike. In the 

 case of some it is plump, round, and smooth, in others 

 small and wrinkled. Most of the blues have insignificant 

 seed, but it gives equally as strong plants as large seeds. 

 Outdoor sowing may be practised in autumn or spring, 

 according to soil and requirements. If early flowers 

 are wanted, the seed may be sown in September or 

 October, provided the soil is well drained and friable. 

 In heavy, stiff, stodgy soil autumn sowing does not 

 answer. An ounce of seed may be sown for every seven 

 or eight yards of row and covered an inch deep. Seed 

 may be sown in March or April in the ordinary course. 

 The exact time should depend upon the state of the soil. 

 If it is in a friable state the first good shower may be 

 taken advantage of. It is desirable that the soil be 

 damp, but not sodden. It is the custom of growers to 

 raise expensive novelties in boxes or pots under glass 

 in order to be able to provide conditions which will 

 insure every seed germinating. A compost of loam, leaf 

 mould, and sand is prepared, and the seeds put in quite 

 clear of each other half an inch deep. Where pots are 

 used six seeds are often sown in a five-inch pot, but very 

 careful growers sow singly in three-inch pots, because 



