APRIL 337 



to lose, and with a little care seed can now be germinated without 

 artificial heat. When the plants come to be transferred to the open, 

 put them, if possible, in sandy loam, exposed to full sunshine. 



MIGNONETTE. Successional sowings may be made up to the end 

 of June. Give each plant plenty of room. By removing the seed- 

 pods as fast as they are formed, flowering is greatly prolonged. 



PANSY. Although the Pansy will grow almost anywhere, a moist 

 rich soil, partially shaded from summer sun, is necessary to do the 

 plant full justice. Many distinct colours are saved separately, and 

 the quality of the seedlings is so good that propagation by cuttings 

 is not now so much in vogue as in years gone by. Sow thinly in 

 pots or pans, and when the young plants have been pricked off, put 

 them in a cool safe corner until large enough for bedding out. The 

 soil should be plentifully dressed with decayed cow-manure. 



PETUNIA. Plants from the first sowing will be ready for small 

 pots, and they must be kept going until the 48- or 32-size is reached. 

 All Petunias rebel if root-bound, and the double varieties are espe- 

 cially impatient in this respect. After each transfer give them a 

 sheltered, shady position, and attention with water until they start 

 again. Good drainage and careful ventilation are essential, or the 

 foliage will lose colour. Seedlings intended for beds may be trans- 

 ferred direct from the seed-pans into 6o-sized pots. 



PICOTEE AND PINK. See the culture prescribed for Carnation. 



RICINUS. At quite the end of the month or the beginning of 

 May, seed put into the open ground may be made to produce 

 splendid specimens, if treated with a lavish hand. Where the seeds 

 are to be sown, take out the soil for a depth of eighteen inches or two 

 feet, and fill the space to within three inches of the surface with a 

 mixture of rich soil and well-decayed manure. Upon each bed thus 

 made place three Ricinus beans in a triangle, and when they are up 

 thin to one plant at each station, and this, of course, the strongest. 

 This mode of growing Ricinus will astonish those who have been 

 accustomed to allow the plant to struggle through existence in the 

 ordinary soil of a garden border. Plentiful supplies of water must 

 be given in dry weather, and stakes will be necessary to save the 

 specimens from injury by wind. It is too early for putting out those 

 raised in heat. 



STOCK, TEN-WEEK. Where the requisite quantity of seed has 

 not been sown, it must be done promptly. If there happens to be a 

 cold frame on a spent hot-bed to spare, it will exactly suit the 

 seedlings when they are ready for transferring. Make the surface 



