Annuals. 85 



bones, and a thin layer of well-decomposed manure 

 over the drainage, which should be carefully attended to. 



When potting, the roots should in no way be dis- 

 turbed, and the soil must be firmly pressed round 

 them. The plants may then be well watered and 

 plunged with the soil up to the rim of the pot in sunny 

 beds. They should be irrigated according to their 

 requirements, which will be about every second day, 

 and alternate waterings with manure and soot water, 

 should be given every four days. Too much water 

 will be found to turn the foliage yellow. 



Each shoot should be tied out separately early in 

 September with a neat stick, and the plants syringed 

 morning and evening so as to prevent the blight 

 and black-fly from injuring the young shoots. 



As soon as the buds appear, the side ones ought to 

 be removed, leaving the terminal ones only three, six, 

 or eight flowers being sufficient for a specimen pot 

 plant. The plants, as they come into bloom, should 

 then be taken up, their pots washed, and stood in 

 suitable positions in the house, verandah, or the garden. 



ANNUALS. 



Since seeds can be obtained with the illustration 

 of their flowers on each packet, the amateur has no 

 longer any difficulty in making a suitable collection, 

 and arranging them according to their height and colour. 



Many varieties, such as Phlox, Gaillardias, Poppies, 

 &c., will sow themselves, and come up year after year, 

 but most of the species mature their seed so rapidly 

 that the old seed is not worth keeping for the follow- 

 ing year, and fresh supplies had better be annually 

 obtained from a reliable firm so as to ensure success. 



The seed should be sown in boxes or pans from 

 October to January, the display in Cairo being con- 

 siderably earlier than that of Alexandria, though the 

 light soil of the latter place suits them better. Sow 

 thinly in sandy soil, give plenty of drainage, and place 

 the seed - pans in a sheltered spot. Pot the seedlings 

 off, or plant out as soon as they are large enough 



