44 THE NURSERY-MANUAL 



the pan is removed, and this is a common method of determining the work 

 done by a steaming outfit. Although the temperatures reached directly 

 under the pan are quite high, little heating effect is to be noted away from 

 the edges of the pan." 



Sowing the seed 



The soil in which seeds are sown, especially in indoor culture, 

 should be such as to allow of perfect drainage and at the same 

 time to hold moisture. Good potting soil, with a liberal allow- 

 ance of sharp sand, is the best for general purposes. Pure sand 

 becomes too dense, and leaf-mold alone is usually too loose and 

 open. A proper combination of the two corrects both faults. 



It is impossible to describe a good potting or seed-bed soil. 

 Experience is essential to the best results in preparing it. It 

 should be of such character that when a damp portion is firmly 

 compressed in the hand it will fall apart when released. It 

 should never bake. Good old garden loam, to which an equal 

 quantity of sand has been added, is usually a good soil for com- 

 mon indoor seedage. There should be no manure in soil used for 

 seeds that produce a delicate growth, as rhododendrons and kal- 

 mias. In all such cases, rotted sod or leafy peat is an excellent 

 medium. Live sphagnum moss is also a good material on which 

 to sow various heath-like seeds, as kalmias, andromedas, and the 

 like. Coconut fiber is sometimes used in place of the soil, as it 

 holds moisture, allows of almost perfect drainage, and does not 

 become "sour." Fine dead sphagnum moss may also be used. 



Soil should be sifted and thoroughly fined before seeds are 

 put into it. Seeds usually require lighter soil than that in 

 which the growing plant will flourish. Orchid seeds are commonly 

 sown on the live moss in which the parent plant is growing; 

 or they may be sown on damp wood or cork. (See under 

 Orchids, Part II.) Small seeds, as those of cineraria and 

 calceolaria, germinate well in very old cow dung obtained from 

 a pasture, from which the unctuous matters have disappeared, 



