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NEW ENGLAND FARIVIER. 



IVlAY 



For the New England Farmer, 



THE FliO^WEK GARDEN FOB APEIIj. 



April, the second spring month, is now with 

 us, — 



"The month of showers, 

 The month of flowers. 

 The month that cheers. 

 The month of tears," 



As the old rhyme runs. March was true to her 

 proverbs, and gave us a taste of December 

 and January combined, but we hope for better 

 things in this month. New England is so far 

 'left out in the cold," that we cannot do much 

 gardening in the open air at this season ; but 

 we can purchase our seeds and plant many of 

 them in boxes, in-doors. 



An upper chamber, where the sun lies warm 

 most of the day, can be improvised into a 

 miniature green house. If it has a dormer 

 window in the roof, so much the better; place 

 an old table directly under it, and set your 

 boxes upon it. 



The soil for these boxes can be dug up 

 from the richest parts of the garden, and 

 baked in old pans or boxes in the oven till it 

 is thoroughly heated through. This process 

 kills all the minute worms and larvaa, renders 

 the soil friable and loose, and makes it desir- 

 able for seed planting. One-third of scouring 

 sand, to two-thirds of garden loam is a good 

 mixture for such purposes We listen yearly 

 to complaints that the seedsmen "Do not sell 

 fresh seeds; their seeds will not grow, etc., 

 etc." You must learn how to plant before 

 you indulge in murmurings and complaints. 

 When your soil is prepared, — and it is an ex- 

 cellent plan to sift the earth, for then there 

 are no lumps to stifle the young life of the 

 seed, — fill the boxes. Old raisin and cigar 

 boxes are the easiest to handle ; but starch 

 and soap boxes will hold the most seeds. Fill 

 them up to the top with the baked earth ; 

 press down the soil firmly with a trowel or the 

 lingers ; and sprinkle the seeds sparsely over 

 tiie place thus made ready. If the seeds are 

 very small like Petunias, Lobelias and Por- 

 tulaca, pressing them into the soil with the 

 hand will cover them suiBciently. More than 

 half the failures to germinate these seeds, 

 arise from too deep planting. Tiny, little 

 mites, they cannot grow if covered half an 

 inch deep with soil. Sweet Peas, Tropceulums 

 and seeds similarly sized, should be planted 

 an inch deep, — the former flourish better if 

 sown three inches in depth ; and they can be 

 planted as soon as the frost admits of a bed 

 being dug for them. If planted early in this 

 month they will bloom early in June. Eight 

 weeks from the time the seeds are sown, will 

 often be time enough to produce the sweetest 

 of sweet flowers. They make a beautiful 

 hedge to a garden and will protect more ten- 

 der flowers from the cold winds. Frost does 

 not often injure them. The new varieties are 

 exquisite. The scarlet and white are great 



additions to every garden. None of us can 

 have too many Sieeet Peas. 



But to our planting. Sand is a great desi- 

 deratum in seed planting. It is the lightest 

 covering we can procure ; it attracts the sun ; 

 stimulates the growth, and no one can raise 

 either cuttings or seeds in perfection without 

 its aid. A pan of it well warmed, must be 

 placed beside us, and be used to cover all the 

 seeds we plant. Asters, Balsams, Zinnias, 

 and all our pets must be planted under sand. 

 The three flowers named above should be 

 planted a quarter of an inch deep. When 

 all our desirable seeds are stowed away, re- 

 serving from each paper about one-third of 

 its contents to plant in the open ground, for a 

 succession of flowers, we must sprinkle the 

 surface tlioronghly. If there is not a fine 

 nose watering pot at hand, we can improvise 

 a summer shower with the aid of a small hand 

 broom, dipped in quite warm water. The 

 warm water must be daily used ; one water- 

 ing with cold water from pu-mp or aqueduct 

 might kill the life of young seedlings. When 

 the boxes are all watered, old pieces of fiannel 

 or cotton flannel dipped in hot water should 

 be tightly pressed over the surface of them, 

 and water the seeds through the cloths until 

 they begin to germinate. If the seeds are 

 very rare, cut holes for each tiny leaflet, and 

 keep the flannels on until all are started. By 

 this process the most difficult seeds can be 

 forced. It is nearly equal to a hot bed, and 

 little fault will be found with the seedsmen, if 

 our readers adhere strictly to our directions. 

 Now our seeds are planted, and many of 

 them sprouted they will require daily care. 

 They must not be kept so warm that when the 

 seeds sprout they look as though grown on 

 stilts ; they must have fresh air daily ; an hour 

 between twelve and one o'clock, if the sun 

 shines fairly upon them, will be none too 

 much, and when the plants have put forth the 

 second and third row of leaves, they can be 

 safely stimulated with very weak guano water ; 

 one teaspoonful to three (}uarts of warm water 

 will hasten their growth, if it seems to require 

 it. 



All annuals excepting the tap-rooted varie- 

 ties, like Mignonette, Larkspur, &c., require 

 transplanting, and produce much finer flowers 

 by such treatment. As soon as they show the 

 second leaves well developed, they should be 

 transplanted into small pots ; four plants can 

 be placed around the outer edge, and one or 

 two in the middle. By transplanting, a greater 

 growth of fibrous roots is produced, and if 

 the operation is performed at night, the plants 

 do not seem to be aware ol their change of 

 base. Last year we transplanted from neces- 

 sity a large number of plants after six o'clock, 

 P. M. ; not one withered. 



We would advise our readers to plant bien- 

 nials and perennials, as well as annuals. To 

 be sure, the first named flowers will not bloom 

 until another year, but their beauty well re- 



