Gardening for Amateurs 



125 



Hints on Protecting Seeds, Seedlings and Plants 



PROTECTION of Seeds. When 

 seeds are sown in the open, and 

 especially the larger seeds, a certain 

 number invariably fail to germinate ; the 

 high mortality rate is much more notice- 

 able when the soil is not in proper tilth, 

 i.e. when it is cold, sodden, or sour, but 

 in many cases animals, insects, and fungi 

 account for some of those which fail 

 to produce plants. Obviously, drainage 

 and spade work will improve the physical 

 and chemical state of the soil, but for the 

 other pests preventives are usually em- 

 ployed. Easiest of all is to steep the seeds 

 for ten minutes in paraffin oil ; seeds soaked 

 for a like time in permanganate of potash 

 solution seldom succumb to fungi, and to 

 keep away mice and other animals the seeds 

 are first soaked in paraffin oil, and then 

 dusted with dry lead paint (red lead). 

 Steeping in a solution of bitter aloes or in 

 a strong disinfectant like Lysol, Cyllin or 

 Sanidine is 

 also very effi- 

 cient. 



Protecting 

 Seedlings. 

 From the 

 moment that 

 the tiny plants 

 peep above 

 the soil they 

 have many 

 ovils to con- 

 tend with 

 rain, frost, 

 wind, birds, 

 animals, in- 

 sects, and the 

 like. The 

 easiest way 

 to ward off 

 heavy rains 

 which would 

 otherwise dash 

 the plants to 

 the ground is 

 to arch over 

 them a few 



Showing how black cotton 

 rows of 



twigs or to cover them with " protectors " 

 as the various devices made with netting are 

 called. Frost is often prevented from doing 

 serious damage by the free use of such twigs 

 also, but small branches of fir, whin, gorse, 

 or such like are even better ; they may even 

 be laid over the seedlings at night in such 

 a way as not to press them down, to be 

 removed in the morning ; inverted boxes 

 are also very useful in bad weather. Re- 

 member not to let the protective coverings 

 lie too long over the plants, or to press on 

 the seedlings ; very little serves to break 

 the force of the elements, and too much 

 " coddling " is to be deprecated. Cold 

 winds, especially in the spring, seriously 

 cripple tender seedlings ; a 6-inch board 

 held on edge by means of pegs along the 

 windward side breaks the blast, and soil 

 may be heaped up on either side for a like 

 purpose ; twigs are again useful. Strong 

 sunshine seldom troubles seedlings in the 

 open ; indeed, 

 we would wel- 

 come it some- 

 times, but 

 inside the 

 greenhouse we 

 must shade 

 young seed- 

 lings, or the 

 hot rays will 

 soon dry up 

 the soil and 

 kill the plants. 

 An old news- 

 paper, brown 

 paper, or piece 

 of cloth over 

 the plants 

 serves as a 

 useful shade, 

 but blinds of 

 various kinds, 

 shading mate- 

 rial applied 

 like paint, and 

 such like, are 



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may be used for protecting 

 seedlings 



