30 BRECK’S NEW BOOK OF FLOWERS. 
pends upon the soil. In light soils, the seeds should be 
planted deeper than in heavy ones; but the following di- 
rections may be a guide in soils of a medium texture, viz.: 
Sweet Peas, Lupins, Morning Glories, Four-o’clock, and 
other large seeds, should be planted about one inch deep. 
Balsams, Asters, Centaureas, etc., about one-half an inch. 
Cockscombs, Amaranth, and many other seeds of like 
size, one-quarter of aninch. Many of the very small seeds 
should be sown on the surface with a little fine earth sifted 
over them, just so as to cover the seeds, and then gently 
pressed with a piece of board. Great care must be taken 
with these minute seeds, to keep the surface of the ground 
moist if the weather is dry, and watch carefully for the 
first appearance of the plants, when they should be shaded 
in the middle of the day by spruce boughs, or a gauze 
covering, such as is used to keep off the insects from cu- 
cumber vines. They should be thus cared for until the 
plants have acquired strength to resist the scorching rays 
of the sun. 
Cypress Vine, Indian-shot, and many other hard-shelled 
seeds, require a long time to vegetate in the open ground, 
unless first prepared by pouring scalding water over them, 
in which they should remain until the water is cold. 
When planted, thus prepared, the last of May, these seeds 
will appear above ground in about one week, if the 
weather is warm. 
The Three-thorned Acacia seed will sometimes remain 
in the ground a year before it vegetates, and I have known 
Asparagus seed sown late in May, remain in the ground 
until August, before the plants appeared; but if treated 
the same as recommended for the Cypress Vine, they will 
vegetate in a week or ten days. 
Globe-Amaranth seeds, @Gomphrena globosa) and some 
other seeds enclosed in a cottony substance over a shell, 
will not readily vegetate unless this outer covering is taken 
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