HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



387 



PRI 



hot-bed, again to be planted, either 

 wider or in the open air. If this is not 

 done as soon as they are fit to handle, 

 the plants will spindle and get weak, and 

 often will die off altogether from damp- 

 ing. 



Primary, Primarius. The part which is 

 first developed, or the principal division 

 of any organ. 



Process, Processus. Any extension or pro- 

 jection from a surface. 



Procumbent. Lying flat on the ground. 



Proliferous. A plant is said to be prolif- 

 erous when it forms young plants in 

 abundance about its roots. 



Propagation by Seeds. The most natural 

 way of increasing plants is by seeds; and 

 whenever it is practicable to do so, it is 

 preferable to all others, so that in our own ! 

 practice, any plant of which we can pro- 1 

 cure the seed, we rarely increase in any ; 

 other way, unless, of course, in cases j 

 where particular varieties are wanted that [ 

 we know will not reproduce themselves i 

 from seed, so as to be certain of color or 

 form ; but in all cases where seed taken 

 from a variety or species will reproduce 

 itself exactly, or in cases where a gen- 

 eral variety is wanted, the propaga- 

 tion by seed is invariably practiced. As 

 propagation by seeds refers more usually 

 to ornamental plants cultivated under 

 glass, we will briefly relate our own prac- 

 tice, which we have greatly improved 

 during the past few years, and in 

 which we have attained almost unfailing 

 satisfactory results. We have found that 

 seeds sown in shallow boxes, from one 

 and a half to two inches deep, can be 

 given a far more uniform degree of moist- 

 ure than when sown in earthen flower 

 pots, or earthen seed pans made specially 

 for that purpose. These boxes are made 



PRO 



from the ordinary soap box, from four to 

 five being made from each, with the bot- 

 tom boards so put on as to allow free es- 

 cape of moisture, though, of course, not 

 so wide apart as to allow the soil to wash 

 through. These boxes are filled with 

 finely sifted soil, such as has been run 

 through a sieve fine as mosquito netting. 

 This surface is then made perfectly level 

 and smooth, and the seeds sowed on it 

 as evenly as possible, and in thickness 

 corresponding to the variety sowed, 

 though it must be here remembered that 

 in " union there is strength," and that, 

 if sown too thin, weak seeds may fail to 

 press up the soil if isolated too much. 

 After the seeds are sown, and before they 

 are covered, they are pressed down by a 

 smooth board into the soil, so that the 

 surface is again smooth and level 



The seed box is now ready for its cov- 

 ering. For the past year we have used 

 finely-sifted Moss (Sphagnum) exclusively 

 for covering. To prepare this it is rub- 

 bed through a mosquito wire sieve when 

 dry, and sifted over the seed only thick 

 enough to cover it, usually about one- 

 sixteenth part of an inch. In the absence 

 of Moss, dry refuse hops, cocoanut fiber, 

 or leaves will answer, prepared in the 

 same manner, the great object being to 

 use a material light in weight, having 

 non-conducting properties, and that will 

 thus hold the moisture uniformly. Of 

 all these, we think Moss the best, and 

 now use nothing else, as its sponge-like 

 character keeps just the right degree of 

 moisture wanted. These seed boxes 

 should be placed in the open sunlight, in 

 the windows of the dwelling room, in the 

 hot-bed or green-house, and never shaded, 

 in a temperature running from 55 de- 

 grees to 65 degrees at night, with 10 de- 



