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MAKING MONEY 



WITH MIGNONETTE 



The commercial spirit seldom takes such complete possession of a grower 

 or other business wMn as to smother all sentimental feeling with reference 

 to his lifework. Though love of the profits is the grower's main incentive, 

 his love of his flowers usually contributes to his success, as in the case of 

 the writer of this article. 



T HAS been said, by a 

 man with whom I had the 

 privilege of becoming in- 

 timately acquainted, that 

 "flowers are the hand- 

 maid of refinement, good 

 taste and real gentility." 

 Certain it is that the 

 beauties of nature as ex- 

 pressed in flowers are 

 more appreciated as our higher and 

 finer instincts are developed. It is 

 equally true that some flowers, by 

 their fragrance, purity of color, or 

 other less clearly defined qualities, 

 appeal to us more strongly than do 

 others. For some such reason I have 

 always been partial to mignonette, and 

 as was natural, I re- 

 cently gave expression 

 to that partiality by 

 submitting to The Re- 

 view some photographs, 

 one of which is here 

 reproduced, of a strain 

 of mignonette we were 

 cutting. Then came 

 back the • suggestion, 

 from The Review, that 

 a description of the cul- 

 tural methods necessary 

 to produce these flowers 

 should accompany the 

 illustration when pub- 

 lished. Possibly I can 

 only repeat what has al- 

 ready been published on 

 this subject, but this ar- 

 ticle will at least serve 

 to call attention to a 

 flower which has a char- 

 acter and refinement en- 

 tirely its own, and which 

 is not often seen at its 

 highest stage of devel- 

 opment. 



Sowing the Seed. 



We sow our mignon- 

 ette seed July 15 in 2%- 

 inch pots, placing six to 

 eight seeds in a pot and 

 using a light, fresh soil. 

 The seed is firmed and 

 only enough soil is 

 added to prevent the 

 first waterings from ex- 

 posing the seed. The 

 pots are then placed in 

 an outside frame, and, 

 to prevent the entrance 

 of the common sulphur 

 butterfly, a covering of 

 the thinnest fly netting 

 is tacked entirely over 

 the frame. All watering 



By DAVID J. SCOTT. 



is done with a can and fine rose 

 through this netting, and we believe 

 that the light shade produced by the 

 netting is a benefit, considering that 

 the young plants are growing with 

 otherwise full exposure to sun and 

 air. 



The Seedlings in Frames. 



Over the cross-braces and lengthwise 

 of the frame near each edge is placed 

 a narrow strip of board, and during 

 rainy or threatening weather sashes are 

 put on as a protection. The sashes, be- 

 ing raised on all sides, allow a free cir- 



The Scott Strain of Mtgnonctte. 



culation of air over the young plants. 

 Mignonette produces a network of ex- 

 tremely fine roots around the inner cir- 

 cle of the pot. If, when planting into 

 the bench later, the ball of soil and 

 roots does not separate from the pot 

 in a clean fashion, the young plants 

 will have considerable of a setback. 

 It is important that clean pots be used 

 and that they be set on a good depth 

 of well moistened ashes or sand. 



Owing to the difficulty of trans- 

 planting, some growers sow the seed 

 in the bench which is to be their per- 

 manent quarters. Because of the date 

 of sowing our seed and the fact that 

 the young plants, if inside, would be 

 subjected to the most intense heat of 

 the summer, we prefer, 

 as a rule, to follow the 

 method first described. 

 After the seedlings 

 are of sufficient size, 

 they are set over and 

 weeded. The only thin- 

 ning out we do at this 

 time is to reduce to five 

 or six of the strongest 

 plants any pots in which 

 more than that number 

 have started. 



The last of August is 

 the time we bench our 

 mignonette, and a well 

 drained solid bed, in a 

 light, airy house, pro- 

 vides, in my opinion, 

 the ideal conditions. 



I am aware that high- 

 class mignonette is be- 

 ing grown on raised 

 benches, with five 

 inches of soil, but for a 

 prolonged and steady cut 

 I prefer the solid bed. 



Benching the Plants. 



If it is necessary to 

 plant in a raised bench, 

 select one with a good 

 depth of soil and free 

 from excessive bottom 

 heat. 



For soil we use a 

 fresh fibrous loam, to 

 which has been added a 

 fourth or fifth of well 

 rotted manure, the whole 

 being well worked over 

 but not broken up too 

 finely. The young plants 

 — or, rather, the clus- 

 ters of young plants 

 just as they come from 

 the pots — are spaced 

 twelve inches apart 



