60' GARDENING FOR PLEASURE. 



are that the last shall be first ; if it were always practi- 

 cable to keep the necessary temperature steadily along, 

 the first sown would be the first, but this is often 

 very difficult to accomplish, while there is but little dif- 

 ficulty with the later sowing, as assistance is then given 

 by the increasing outside temperature. For this reason 

 seeds of tropical annual flowers, such as Amaranths of all 

 kinds, Balsams, Salvias, Double Portulacas, Cannas, 

 Coxcombs, Zinnias, etc. , should not be sown before April 

 in the hot-bed, or if in the open ground, in this latitude, 

 not before May 15th. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



THE POTTING OF PLANTS. 



This naturally follows the preceding chapter, and I 

 will briefly state a few of the most important points ; first 

 of all is soil, or potting mold, often rather a troublesome 

 thing to get by those who have only a few dozen plants 

 to repot. The soil used by us, and most florists, for 

 nearly every plant we grow, is one combining freshness, 

 richness, and what is called friableness of texture ; this 

 condition we get by paring off the sod from the roadside, 

 mixing it with one-third of well-rotted stable manure, 

 and throwing it in heaps until it rots ; turning it over 

 two or three times until the whole is well mixed ; if the 

 plants are small, we run it through a fine sieve before 

 using it ; if large, we use it rough, without sifting. But 

 it may not always be convenient to get this material, and 

 it is by no means indispensable to success ; leaf-mold 

 from the woods, mixed with any fresh field loam, and a 

 little rotted stable manure, will answer nearly as well ; 



