48 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



moulded up a little as protection, without bringing the 

 level up to such a degree that it looks like a miniature 

 Potato hill. 



Another important point in direct relation to sowing 

 is the distance at which the seed ought to be placed. The 

 advice to sow thinly has been insisted upon often enough 

 by experienced growers, but it is certain that ideas as to 

 what constitutes thin sowing are varied and confused. 

 Some growers will place the seeds about three deep in the 

 drill. Then comes the individual who considers that a 

 single layer is the ideal of thin sowing, and still another 

 sets them 12 inches asunder, forgetting that some of the 

 seeds may fail to germinate, that mice may demand a 

 toll before the seedlings are through, that slugs and birds 

 will also take a share, until, when the thinning by these 

 means is finished, the plants may stand at anything from 

 3 feet to 6 feet apart for flowering. As a matter of fact, it is 

 exceedingly difficult to lay down a hard-and-fast rule that 

 will suit all cultivators, but if the distance varies from 

 i inch to 2 inches it is almost impossible that the grower 

 can go far astray. There will then be sufficient for the 

 mice, birds, and slugs to have a fair share and for the 

 thinning to be completed so that a distance of 12, 15, 18, 

 or 24 inches separates the plants in the rows. Those who 

 aspire to produce exhibition blooms will be wise to follow 

 Thomas Stevenson's advice, while the immense majority, 



