288 GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



The pots or pans are prepared as for seed-sowing, then with a pointed 

 piece of wood one of the seedlings is carefully lifted without injuring 

 the roots. With the dibble held perpendicularly, make a hole sufficiently 

 deep to take the young plant, burying the stem almost to the cotyledons. 

 Never make the hole deeper than is necessary, otherwise a cavity will 

 remain at the bottom. To close the soil around the seedling when it is 

 placed in position, insert the dibble exactly as before, but from a quarter 

 to half an inch from the little plant, towards which the soil must be 

 pressed. By this means the buried portion of the stem is held in position 

 throughout its length, and not merely on the upper part as is so often 

 practised. When this is finished the soil must be watered through a 

 fine rose, sufficient being used to settle everything in its place, after 

 which shade the plants for a few days until the roots recover from the 

 check sustained during transplanting. When the young plants crowd 

 each other either put them into small pots or plant them out. 



In the case of seedlings of strong growing plants, such as Cannas, no 

 pricking off will be necessary, the young plants being simply trans- 

 ferred from the pots or pans in which they have been sown and potted 

 singly into small pots. 



The process known as 



Hardening off that is, gradually inuring plants to changes of 

 condition and of temperature is of great importance, for if plants grown 

 under glass and partially shaded are suddenly transferred to the open 

 ground they are sure to suffer, while if the change is gradual they will 

 not be affected. In the case of seedlings that have been raised in the 

 greenhouse for planting out in the open ground later on, take advantage 

 of a dull or showery day for the work, as then they quickly recover 

 from the check occasioned by removal. 



Cuttings. Many plants can be propagated by cuttings, and though 

 some require different treatment from others, a few simple rules will 

 generally suffice to achieve success. As the cuttings when separated 

 from the parent plant quickly flag if fully exposed to the air, a small 

 frame is necessary, air-tight, or nearly so, and fitted with glass lights. 

 This, which is usually like an ordinary garden frame in shape, is known 

 as a propagating case ; but failing this a home-made article may be im- 

 provised that will answer the same purpose. A shallow box, about seven 

 or eight inches deep, slightly higher at the back than at the front, with 

 a few squares of glass laid over it, forms a good propagating case for 

 most greenhouse plants. The glass must be removed each morning to 

 drain off accumulated moisture, and also to allow for the removal of any 

 decaying leaves, while the soil when dry may be watered. 



The majority of greenhouse plants, including such popular subjects 

 as Fuchsias, Heliotropes, Petunias, Begonias, Coleus, and many others, 

 all strike root readily with the following treatment : Take some clean 

 four-inch pots, place one crock (that is, a piece of broken pot) in the 

 bottom, so as to cover the hole, then over this a few smaller pieces. 

 Then make a mixture of equal parts of loam, leaf-mould, or peat, and 

 silver sand, and pass the whole through a sieve with a mesh of a quarter 



