8 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



seedlings, or for thinning them severely before they crowd 

 one another in the slightest degree. Some Aimuals will not 

 bear transplantation and must be sown out-of-doors where 

 they are to flower ; in such cases thick sowing renders 

 success impossible, and the neglect of proper thinning is a 

 distinct proof of bad cultivation. 



Excess of moisture should be prevented as a plague. 

 The seeds should be sown in light, sandy soil, and the re- 

 ceptacles must be provided with ample drainage. This 

 applies equally to seeds sown in pots and boxes or in the 

 open ground. Lack of sufficient moisture is as injurious as 

 the other extreme. It is a fact that irregularities in watering, 

 coupled with thick sowing, are responsible for most of the 

 failures that arise in the earlier stages of the culture of 

 Annuals. 



Very large quantities of Hardy and Half-hardy Annuals 

 are now raised each Spring under glass for the purpose of 

 securing stocks of strong, sturdy, well-rooted plants ready 

 for planting out-of-doors in April or early in May. Where 

 a greenhouse, frame or pit, from which frost can be ex- 

 cluded, can be requisitioned, cither or all of these struc- 

 tures will afford suitable shelter for early batches. Excess 

 of heat must be avoided. When the plants are raised 

 in thi^ fashion, there is a great temptation to take full 

 advantage of these shelters and so secure big plants 

 when plantmg time arrives. In this connexion it is worth 

 while to remember that large plants are by no means 

 the best for planting out, because growth produced under 

 favourable conditions under glass is apt to suffer badly 

 should cold or windy weather follow immediately after 

 planting in the open bed or border. Further, the larger the 

 plants the more room will they need, and space is usually 

 limited for the accommodation of such subjects. Again, the 

 larger the plants the more root room will they require and 



