94 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



spring-sown plants, so that growth from the outset is more 

 vigorous and hardy. For autumn sowing in pots, seeds 

 must be obtained early from the seedsmen, as they should 

 be sown by the middle of October. A fairly light com- 

 post should be prepared consisting of loam and leaf-mould, 

 and a little sand to keep it porous ; the addition of bone 

 meal, say a 5 -inch potful to a wheelbarrow load of the 

 compost, will not be detrimental, though it is not really 

 necessary. The one aim should be to keep the plants as 

 sturdy as possible. Pots 5 inches or 6 inches in diameter 

 are the best to use, and they should be filled to within 

 i inches of the rim with the compost, pressing it only 

 moderately firm. Five or six seeds may be put round the 

 sides of the 5-inch pot, while eight or nine may be put 

 in a 6-inch pot. Some of the larger and harder seeded 

 varieties should be chipped before sowing with the point of 

 a knife (be careful not to injure the interior), to induce 

 them to germinate quickly. I have found seeds of Elsie 

 Herbert quite hard and sound after being sown for two or 

 three months, and which afterwards pushed through the soil 

 in a very few days after having a little of the hard skin 

 removed. Cover the seed over with soil, and place the 

 pots in a cold frame, after which a thorough soaking of 

 water must be applied. Place the lights on the frame, 

 and keep it moderately close until the young plants appear 

 through the soil, when air must be given freely, and as the 



