STARTING EARLY FLOWERS 145 



may be placed on a sound basis in every school district and 

 neighborhood. The full results are yet to be achieved, but, 

 judging by experience in many places, they will be worth far 

 more than all the money and effort invested. 



STARTING EARLY FLOWERS 



Several of the annual flowers may be started to advantage 

 in-doors. Under the conditions of the ordinary school-room 

 or home it is not practicable thus to start some of the kinds 

 of plants, seedlings of which may 

 be grown in the hot-bed or green- 

 house early, for many plants 

 with the comparative lack of an 

 abundance of sunlight and air 

 commonly found in-doors will 

 grow so spindly that nothing is 

 gained by starting them there. 

 Consequently it is desirable to 

 choose for the in-door plants 

 those flowers which experience 

 has shown can thrive under such 

 comparatively unfavorable con- 

 ditions. 



One of the crops with which something may be gained 

 by starting early inside is that of the sweet peas. By plant- 

 ing several three-inch paper flower-pots with four or five 

 sweet pea seeds each in February or early March one can 

 get several weeks' root development which will bring the 

 flowers out-doors very much earlier than usual. As soon in 

 spring as the ground is in good working condition, the young 

 seedlings may be planted directly from the pots into the soil 





French Marigold. 



