44 PBACTICAL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS 



like those of Bhododendron, therefore, are simply sown on the surface 

 of the prepared soil, the fineness of which should as a rule correspond 

 to the fineness of the seeds sown. Larger seeds may be covered with 

 soil to a depth varying according to their size. 



WATERING SBED-BBDS 



Water is just as essential to growth as heat. Hence the soil 

 in which seeds are sown must be in a more or less moist condition 

 according to the nature of the plant. Some seeds require to be 

 moderately moist, while others — such as those of marsh plants, a list of 

 which is given at pp. 112, 113 — require to be sown almost or quite in a 

 wet muddy soil. In the case of the fine seeds already alluded to, where 

 there is no covering of soil, great attention to watering is necessary for 

 some time. Being not only minute, but also tender and hkely to be 

 shrivelled up by drought, the soil on which these tiny seeds rest should 

 before sowing be thoroughly soaked with water. Afterwards they may 

 be kept moist with a sprinkling from a very fine-rosed watering-pot, or 

 the pots or pans in which they are sown may be stood half their depth 

 in water. In this way the soil will absorb moisture upwards from the 

 bottom, and thus avoid the necessity of watering with a can. Very 

 often, when the latter is used carelessly or thoughtlessly for fine seeds, 

 these are washed into a heap at one side, and thus are too dense to 

 permit any good growth in the seedlings. 



EBCBPTACIiES FOB SOWING SEEDS 



It is often more convenient to sow seeds in greenhouses, hotbeds, or 

 cold frames ; or the quantity to be sown may be so small that it is not 

 worth while sowing it in the open border. Under such circumstances 

 flowerpots, pans, or shallow wooden boxes are generally used. "Whatever 

 receptacle is used it is first of aU necessary to see that it is well drained 

 before filling it up with soil. 



' CROCKING ' OR DRAINING POTS 



In the case of flowerpots, these must be ' crocked,' as gardeners say. 

 A flattish piece of broken pot, having about the same diameter as the 

 bottom of the pot, is placed over the hole in the centre. Over this large 

 ' crock ' smaller ones are placed, sometimes as much as half way up or 

 more, when particularly good drainage is required. "Where large quan- 

 tities of crocks are used, they should become gradually smaller towards 

 the top. Over them all is placed a layer of moss, or fibre of some sort. 



