HARDY HERBACEOUS PLANTS 113 



singles, because all the seed is saved from single flowers, and 

 great as are the skill and care of the florist, he cannot insure that 

 every plant raised from seed of a single flower will become double. 

 No reasonable person will expect that. A good strain will yield 

 from seventy to eighty per cent, of doubles, and that is quite satis- 

 factory, because the flower gardener who objects to singles has 

 only to plant three extra in every ten he puts in, to allow for 

 removals when the plants come into bloom. 



There may be two or three distinct strains offered in the cata- 

 logues. There are almost certain to be two, namely, the " Dwarf 

 German " and the " Giant Perfection." The latter is larger in all 

 its parts than the former, and is more branching in habit, but it 

 is not superior in richness and variety of colour, or in perfume. 

 For the front of beds the dwarf strain is the more useful. In 

 both cases seed can be bought either in mixture or separate 

 colours. It is wise to sow about the middle of March where 

 glass is available ; where it is not, and outdoor sowing becomes 

 imperative, the process should be deferred until the end of April. 

 The seed may be sown thinly in a pot, pan, or box of light, sandy 

 soil, and covered a bare half-inch deep. The receptacle should be 

 covered with a square of glass shaded with paper, and placed on 

 a shelf close to the glass in a greenhouse, or in a frame. The 

 soil must be kept just moist, not sodden. When the plants come 

 through, full exposure to light is imperative, and abundance of air 

 should be allowed. The seedlings may be pricked off four inches 

 apart in boxes when they begin to crowd each other, carefully 

 watered, liberally ventilated, and so kept sturdy truly " stocky." If 

 planted out eighteen inches apart in rich, well-dug soil, they will 

 give satisfaction. 



A few seeds of the night-scented Stock, Matthiola bicornis, 

 may be sown in a flower-bed not far from the house windows 

 about the middle of April. It is not a beautiful plant, but the 

 perfume is delicious in the evening. 



