ANNUALS 251 



treating Annuals as though they differed from every other class 

 of plant in cultivation, and required no attention after sowing. 

 They are regarded as being all the better for being left severely 

 alone. Even if there were no such organism as a slug, and no 

 such cultural error as thick sowing, this would still be wrong ; 

 but as slugs and over thick sowing are both very common, they 

 in themselves afford reasons for giving the plants attention. One 

 thing, however, may fairly be said of Annuals, and it will appeal 

 to the amateur who has very little spare time for gardening in 

 summer, and that is, if the early treatment is all right, very little 

 attention of any kind will be wanted after June. 



We strongly urge that the Annuals be regarded as real objects 

 of interest from the first, and regularly attended to. If a period 

 is chosen for sowing when the weather is mild and genial, from 

 the end of March to mid-April, and the soil is moist and crumbly, 

 seedlings should be visible in about ten days. If they do not 

 appear within a fortnight the grower should want to know the 

 reason why. We do not say that if seeds of Annuals do not 

 germinate within a fortnight there is necessarily something radically 

 wrong, because we have known seed lie dormant for six weeks in 

 a cold spring, and then germinate well. But we suggest that 

 tardy germination is a fair subject for investigation, particularly 

 if the ground is known to be infested with wireworm and leather- 

 jacket grubs. These greedy pests will eat off batches of seedlings 

 at the moment of germination, so that the plants never show 

 through the ground at all ; and often in such cases suspicion 

 fastens on the seedsman. There is very little bad seed sold 

 nowadays, but although seed dealers have improved, ground pests 

 have not. They are as bad as ever they were. In case of un- 

 explained losses in ground that is known to be infested (and soil 

 from which turf has been removed is almost certain to be) the 

 amateur should make a fresh sowing, and he should mix rape 

 dust with the soil. 



