64 FAMILIAR GARDEN FLOWERS, 
require are more the result of hybridism and selection than 
what we understand by the term “cultivation.” But 
having secured the seed, sow it ina gentle hot-bed in 
April, or in pots some time in May, in which ease a_hot- 
bed will not be wanted, as the seed will soon germinate 
in a common frame. Prick out the young plants into 
boxes, filled with hght rich earth, as soon as they are 
large enough to handle; and very soon after, the plants 
being stout and healthy, put them out in a bed open to 
the full sun, and carefully water and shade until they 
begin to grow freely, and then give no more shade and 
no more water unless the summer happens to be very 
hot and dry, in which case you must water regularly 
and copiously—say, to soak the bed well twice or thrice a 
week. 
