SEED SOWING 93 



many things to be taken into consideration, such as the 

 locality, whether in the northern or southern counties ; 

 whether the soil is light and warm, or cold and heavy ; and 

 lastly, what are the dates when the flowers will be required 

 to be at their best. 



From observations made during a number of years on 

 light and heavy soils in both dry and wet seasons, I have 

 come to the conclusion that sowing in pots in autumn is 

 by far the best system ; but I would not go as far as to 

 suggest that cultivators should have all their eggs in one 

 basket, as it were, but rather that they should try the two 

 systems, sowing in pots in autumn and sowing in pots in 

 spring. At the same time I have no doubt in my own 

 mind as to which system will give the largest and best- 

 coloured flowers, with good stems, and which plants will 

 continue to bloom for the greatest length of time. Even in 

 1909, which was anything but an ideal season, the autumn- 

 sown plants commenced blooming early, giving flowers 

 larger, stronger, and better able to withstand ungenial 

 weather than those sown in the spring, and they flowered 

 freely until the end of September. Plants raised in autumn 

 and kept hardy all the winter make a greater proportion of 

 roots than top growth. The roots are very hardy, and 

 when planted out early in April quickly take hold of the 

 soil and develop young roots, which are not by any means 

 so tender and susceptible to cold as the softer roots of 



