ANNUAL FLOWER SEED. 17 



natural and most important aliment, Heat. Air also is a 

 more necessary aliment to some species than to others, but 

 these three elements collectively, constitute the food of plants 

 in general. It may also be observed that the adaptation of 

 plants to a soil congenial to them is of the utmost import- 

 ance ; as plants will not thrive well when improper food is 

 absorbed by their roots. 



Under favourable circumstances, annuals, in general, will 

 produce their flower buds within two months from the period 

 of sowing the seed. Some species, soon after exhibiting 

 their brilliant blossoms and ripening their seed, disappear, 

 while others embellish the borders with a succession of flow- 

 ers for two or three months. An assortment of seed judi- 

 ciously selected, and sown in due season, will aftbrd amuse- 

 ■jnent to the cultivator the greater part of a summer, and 

 yield seed for the propagation of the species in succeeding 

 years, if gathered when ripe, and carefully preserved. 



Annual plants will grow from one to four feet in height, 

 in one uniform soil and situation ; but as these are diversified 

 in almost every garden, no correct conclusion can be drawn 

 in this particular ; an attempt, however, has been made in 

 the annexed Catalogue, to describe the various species as 

 nearly as possible, which may serve as a guide to the gardener 

 in planting ; the most dwarfish being adapted to the front or 

 outer edge of the borders, and others in regular gi'adation. 



Those species marked thus § are tender. Those marked 

 thus * should be sown in the spot where they are intended 

 to blossom, as they are apt to droop and die by being trans- 

 planted. A few are marked thus t. These, though cultivated 

 as annuals, from their facilities in blossoming and ripening 

 their seed the first season, are in reality perennial, as are also 

 some other varieties from warm climates, usually denominated 

 annuals ; but as such could not be cultivated at all by those 

 who have no means of protecting their plants during our 

 severe winters, they may with great propriety be treated as 

 tender annuals, by sowing the seed every spring. 



