52 BEDDING PLANTS. 



not sucker like the ordinary edible fruited varieties, but is easily raised 

 from seeds. Sow them the latter part of January in the sand bed of a 

 warm propagating house, and pot off the seedlings w^hen they have de- 

 veloped three or four leaves. They may be potted earlier if kept in bot- 

 tom heat. In one season they will, under favorable conditions, grow 6 

 feet high, and if lifted, kept over Winter and planted the second season, 

 they will develop into very large specimens. They delight in rich soil. 



M. superba— A species somewhat resembling M. Ensete, is of a slower 

 growth. The foHage is slightly covered with a farinaceous looking 

 substance. In Winter the leaves die down, the bases of which form a 

 resting bulb-like formation. It should be started into growth before 

 planting out. These plants are raised from seed. 



BALSAflS (Impatiens Balsamina)— Many florists depend to a great 

 extent upon the white camelha-flowered Balsams for supplying mate- 

 rial for designs during Summer. Although there are other things more 

 satisfactory the Balsam will continue to be used, as it can be depended 

 upon to grow with a minimum amount of care. The crop is sometimes 

 disappointing, owing to a large percentage of the seedlings bearing 

 semi-double flowers. Those plants with very double flowers do not set 

 seed very freely, of course, and the temptation is evidently great, in 

 gathering a seed crop, to collect the capsules from the verj^ abundant 

 crops on the single-flowered plants to tha exclusion of those on the 

 doubles and semi-doubles. A few plants of the best types carefully lifted 

 from the field during dull weather and put indoors, will seed more fr-eely 

 than when left at the mercy of wind and rain, or panes of glass may be 

 fixed over extra choice plants in the field. For each plant get two pieces 

 of wood, making a cut of about an inch deep with a wide-set saw near 

 the top; have the sticks driven into the ground on opposite sides of the 

 plant, with the cuts facing each other; into these cuts slide the panes. 

 This looks like a lot of trouble, but it is better to do it than to be with- 

 out the flowers. For late crops the seeds may be sown out-of-doors and 

 transplanted. To have them in bloom early sow in shallow hotbeds 

 and transplant about the middle of May, earlier or later, according to 

 locality. 



The Zanzibar Balsam, Impatiens Sultanii, makes a very showy bor- 

 der plant, and needs very little care after being planted out. Sow the 

 seeds in heat about the 1st of March; keep growing to prevent flower- 

 ing in a young state. 



BEGONIAS— Seeds of the bedding varieties should be sown by the be- 

 ginning of January, to have the plants in good shape for Spring sales. 

 Cuttings are often used, but they do not make anything like as good 

 plants as those from seed. The seed should be so\vn in boxes or pans. 

 Sterilize the soil used on the surface, firm well, water, then sow thinly 

 without covering the seed, or with only a very small quantity of fine 

 sand, covering the box or pan with a pane of glass until the seeds vege- 

 tate. Some of the varieties used for bedding, and which do grandly in 

 most localities, are Bruantii, Erfordire, Vernon, Vulcan and Zulu King. 

 Out-of-doors all of them will ripen seed by September. Seed of some of 



