RESEDA 



491 



either a solid bed or a bench 

 and extra good soil, soil that 

 is porous, rather heavy and 

 that contains plenty of plant 

 food in the way of fertilizer. 

 Well-rotted cow manure fills 

 the bill better than anything 

 else. Finally, you want perfect 

 drainage and a good man in 

 charge. All that may sound 

 like a lot, but really it isn't. 



In order to obtain 18- to 

 20-in.-long spikes, give culture 

 the same as for Chrysanthe- 

 mums. Everything that is in 

 the plant is directed toward 

 making that one shoot or 

 flower spike a good one. This 

 means constant care and atten- 

 tion and the removal of all 

 lateral growths and I doubt 

 whether any retail grower will 

 find the growing on of fancy 

 spikes a paying proposition. 

 However, I am convinced that 

 it will pay those who retail the 

 of Mignonette and allow from 

 so as to be able to sell them at a 

 months. 



Fig. 253.— Mignonette. This plant re- 

 quires rich, deep soil, but if you want 

 especially big spikes, provide also a cool 

 house and plenty of sunshine 



flowers they grow to have a bench 

 five to eight branches to the plant 

 reasonable price during the Winter 



Culture Under Glass 



For December flowering, sow seed in August. Make use of 

 2j/^-in. pots and fill them with soil to within half an inch of the top. 

 After pressing the soil down, sow about five or six seeds to the pot 

 and cover them Ughtly. They will germinate in a few days. When 

 they are large enough to get hold of, remove all but two of the 

 strongest plants. By the end of September plant out, either on a 

 bench or bed, allowing one foot of space between them. If there are 

 still two plants to the pot, remove one ; this is best done by cutting 

 it off just above the soil, rather than by puUing it out and thereby 

 disturbing the remaining one. Mignonette plants don't want to 

 be disturbed; they won't stand for it emd you cannot be too careful, 

 even in planting them out of the pots into the benches. 



You wiU find it a good plan to protect the seedlings as soon as 

 they are up with frames covered with cheesecloth. Keep these frames 

 over them up to the time the plants are benched. The common 



