240 The American Flower Garden 



been said; larger ones, as a rule, need to be planted at a depth 

 equal to their diameter; medium-sized seeds like the zinnia's 

 and balsam's find an inch of soil over them sufficient, while sweet 

 peas, which should be sown in the open ground as early in the 

 spring as it can be worked, need to be dropped an inch apart in a 

 trench six or eight inches deep, and have soil from the sides drawn 

 over the young plants gradually as growth increases, if the vines 

 are not to burn out during hot, dry weather. Leave no air spaces 

 around any seeds. Newspapers laid over the earth in the hotbed 

 where the seeds have been planted prevent them from drying out 

 for the first week and encourage them to sprout. 



When a number of varieties of one kind of plant different 

 shades of asters, for example are sown in the hotbed, strips 

 of moulding about the width of a lead pencil make good divisions. 

 Without them and plainly marked labels at the top of each line, 

 confusion is sure to arise. Tall plants like cosmos or castor bean 

 will be put at the deep back part of the hotbed, so as not to screen 

 the lower ones in front from the sun and burn their own heads 

 off next the glass. Not until seedlings are well rooted is it safe 

 to use a watering-pot to sprinkle them. Baby plants are apt to 

 be washed out of the soil by a too-violent downpour from a can 

 or hose. At first, partly submerge the flats that contain very tiny 

 seeds, and use a rubber bulb with a fine rose spray, or a whisk 

 broom dipped in tepid water and shaken over those in the hotbed 

 at evening or when there is no sun on the glass. So long as the 

 nights are cold, straw matting, strips of old carpet, or discarded 

 bed quilts should be laid over the sashes after sundown, to keep 

 the cosiness in. Young plants, like human babies, require plenty 

 of fresh air every mild day. Raise the sashes at the back if the 

 temperature in the hotbed rises above seventy-five in the middle 



