Part I. ALPINE PLANTS FROM SEED. 65 



name of the plant and height of growth, the pots should then 

 be placed in a cold frame tolerably near the glass, taking care 

 that each pot is set level or as nearly so as practicable. 



" In preparing the frame for their reception, it is desirable to 

 have a good thickness of lime rubbish in the bottom, say from 

 nine to twelve inches, as a protection against worms. 



" Many seeds come up a long time after others ; in fact, seed- 

 pots are often thrown away in the supposition that the seeds are 

 dead, when they are perfectly sound ; and some will come up 

 a year or so after being sown. All that is necessary with the 

 seeds that do not come up during the spring is to give them an 

 occasional watering, and to guard against the growth of the 

 Lichen-like Marchantia. This is frequently a great pest in 

 damp localities, and is only to be kept in check by carefully 

 removing it on its first appearance, for if allowed to make 

 too much headway, any attempt at removal carries away 

 the surface soil, and with it the seeds. In the month of October 

 each pot should be surfaced with a sprinkling of fine soil, well 

 pressed down ; in fact, the process before described after sowing 

 should be repeated. The pots may remain in the frame till the 

 spring, nor should they be despaired of altogether till May or 

 June, or in some instances later. 



"To those who may not have the advantage of a cold frame 

 to carry out the foregoing instructions, I would still recommend 

 the use of flower-pots rather than sowing in the open ground ; 

 but under these circumstances I would say — sow one month 

 later ; place the pots in a warm, sunny corner, and arrange some 

 simple contrivance so that you can shade with mats during hot 

 sunshine, and also cover up at night, in order to keep off heavy 

 rains ; the same care in watering should be observed, and the 

 same watchful eye after snails, woodlice, and other depfedatorSj 

 should be maintained. 



" So much for the seeds in their seed-pots. Now a word or two 

 as to the treatment of the plants afterwards. My practice is to pot 

 off, as soon as they are sufficiently strong to handle, as many as are 

 required, in three- or four-inch pots, say three in each pot. I n these 

 they will grow well during the summer, and become thoroughly 

 rooted, ready for consigning to their final habitat, be it rockery, 

 border, or shrubbery, in the early part of spring, after the borders 

 have been roughly raked over ; thus giving them ample time to 

 establish themselves before autumn arrives, and their enemy, 



F 



