52 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



come up to the highest standard of excellence. Though 

 Balsams {^Gerajiiacece) are still grown largely for Greenhouse 

 and Conservatory decoration, the culture of these handsome 

 but tender plants is by no means so extensive as a quarter of 

 a century ago. The Balsams are Half-hardy Annuals, and 

 they have a distinct value for beds and borders as well as for 

 pot culture ; indeed their use might be greatly extended with 

 advantage in connexion with Summer gardening, especially 

 where there are conveniences for raising a batch of seedlings, 

 growing them into good-sized plants, and protecting them 

 until all fear of frost is over. 



Seeds of the very best strains of Balsams are expensive 

 as compared with the price paid for many Annuals, and this 

 is so because the finer the strain, and the more double the 

 flowers, the more difficult it is to obtain seeds. Where 

 Balsams are grown for Conservatory decoration it is a good 

 plan to make two or three sowings, these ranging from early 

 in February to the end of March, but where an outdoor 

 effect is the end in view, then a mid-March sowing will 

 be suitable in most cases, as the plants grow freely when 

 once past their seedling stage and would require a great 

 deal of house room over a long period if raised earlier ; the 

 early raised batch would also necessitate a good deal of extra 

 labour in the matter of potting and watering. 



A gentle heat of about 60°, with a slightly higher 

 bottom heat, will ensure quick and fairly regular germination. 

 Loam, leaf-soil, and sand make a good seed-bed, and if the 

 surface is pressed level and firm the seeds can easily be sown 

 thinly and regularly upon it ; they should be pressed into 

 the soil and just covered with a little fine, sandy compost, 

 and carefully watered through the medium of a fine rose. 

 As soon as the seedlings have formed the second leaf, t.e. 

 the first leaf after the cotyledons have developed, each one 

 should be potted into a 3-inch pot, in a mixture of loam, 



