THE PRACTICAL FLOWER GARDEN 



Then there are the petunias, Rosy Morn, 

 Giant Ruffled White, and all the other ruffled 

 varieties. It is a simple matter to raise them 

 from seed; many varieties yield a plant from 

 every seed in the ordinary packet, while of 

 other varieties from twenty -five to seventy -five 

 plants are grown from a single packet of seed. 



In the hotbeds, over the horse manure 

 which provides the heat necessary for for- 

 cing, we use a soil composed of old sods, 

 leaf-mold, very fine old, cow manure, sand 

 and some garden soil. This preparation is also 

 used in the flats and pots in which the young 

 plants are grown; the same soil is used in the 

 coldframes. 



If fine, dry sea sand is thinly sifted over 

 the seeds when planted and they are then 

 gently pressed down by the hand, they will 

 retain the moisture better; the young plants 

 seem also less apt to "damp off" than when 

 covered with soil. 



The durable quality of concrete and the 

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