Solving, Transplanting and Culture 21 



For the greater mimber of amateur gardeners, how- 

 ever, the hotbed will perhaps seem to be too much 

 bother, and they will prefer to start the seeds in flats 

 indoors. Late February or March is the earliest date 

 when this need be done, in the vicinity of New York. 

 Around Chicago, April first is time enough. The 

 early date is for the slow-starting annuals. March 

 fifteenth or April first is really soon enough to start 

 the majority of them. This will give fair-sized plants 

 to set out by the middle of May. It will readily be 

 seen that it does not pay to have the seedlings reach 

 this stage before that time. Not only is nothing 

 gained, but everything is liable to be lost unless the 

 seedlings are transplanted from the flats into larger 

 flats, pots or paper pots. 



The flats are usually made by sawing ordinary 

 cracker boxes into sections three or four inches deep 

 and covering one side with boards, through which 

 half a dozen holes are bored for drainage. Do not 

 make the mistake of having these flats too large. They 

 are heavy and awkward to handle when filled with wet 

 soil. 



The soil for the flats may well be of the best for 

 its purpose. Otherwise all our trouble and nursing 

 will go for naught. Perhaps the easiest way to get 

 this soil would be to patronize the nearest florist. A 

 proper mixture can be made without great trouble, 

 however, by taking equal parts of good garden soil, 

 leaf mold, thoroughly rotted black manure, and sand. 

 The garden soil is best if scraped from the bottom of 



