122 Milady's House Plants 



placed on the top of the garden soil that is in the 

 frame and in this any seed may be sown. No arti- 

 ficial heat is necessary, the simple protection of the 

 frame being sufficient after the first of April. 



The Time for Sowing 



Very little is gained by sowing seeds before the first 

 of May, for by that time the ground is getting warm 

 and growth once started will continue uninterrupted. 

 The coarser seeds may be sown thinly in drills, that 

 is, in little gutters made with a piece of stick and 

 about one-quarter inch deep, covered over with the 

 loam thrown up on the sides of the drill and firmed 

 down with the hand or a light piece of board. The 

 finer seeds, such as Begonia semperflorens, must be 

 sown broadcast, as they are so small that many would 

 be buried in the bottom of a drill ever so shallow. 

 Plot out a piece of the frame into small squares by 

 placing pieces of lath or shingle on edge and pressed 

 into the soil to keep them in place. These serve to 

 keep the difi"erent kinds of seeds separate. Empty 

 the packet of seeds into the palm of one hand and 

 with the thumb and forefinger of the other, take 

 small pinches and scatter thinly and evenly over the 

 area selected. Make a sieve by tacking a piece of 

 mosquito wire on the frame of a small grocery box 

 and with this cover the seed one-sixteenth of an inch 

 thick with the prepared soil. Label every kind with 

 name and date of sowing. Firm the surface gently 

 and water with a very fine sprinkler. Place the sashes on 

 the frame and shade the glass by painting with whiten- 

 ing and water. This is the best shading and can be 

 easily washed off' and cheaply replaced when necessary. 



