XVII 



SEEDLINGS IN THE HOUSE 



HILE the house-culture 

 of plants grown from 

 seed intended for out- 

 door use, may not be, 

 in a strict sense, a phase 

 of indoor gardening 

 coming under the 

 proper scope of a book of this kind, it may 

 not be amiss to give it some consideration 

 here, as nearly all women who love flowers 

 undertake, at one time or another, to grow 

 garden plants from seeds, with a view to secur- 

 ing early flowers. 



This is generally done in March or April. 

 Plants started earlier in the season will, nine 

 times out of ten, be so weak and spindling by 

 the time it is safe to put them into the ground 

 that others, grown from seed sown in the gar- 

 den beds as soon as the weather becomes suffi- 

 ciently warm, will get the start of them. In- 

 deed, most seedlings from very early sowing 

 will be so lacking in vigor, by the coming of 



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