Propagation of Plants 95 
sary. If annuals, a succession of sowings insures a succes- 
sion of bloom: but do not sow as I did once:— 
Thad not much space to give to poppies, and I was delighted 
with the idea of succession; so the seed was sown in little 
patches, perhaps eight inches apart, and the extra plants 
thinned out. When about four inches high I put more Shir- 
ley seed in the spaces so as to alternate with the growing 
plants. ‘They also came up promptly, but the first planting 
became an impenetrable jungle through which no ray of 
sunlight penetrated. I was pleased, for I foresaw a pro- 
longed thicket of bloom through the summer. By and by 
when the first growth showed signs of fading, I began a 
search for the successors, and faith! they needed a rescuer 
badly. Of all the anemic, attenuated growths I ever reared, 
they were the sickliest. In vain to admit them to sun and 
air then: they had reached a state of painful decline, and 
speedily faded from view. When you plant a succession of 
anything, choose a new spot each time, where the plants may 
have at least a fighting chance for life. 
Remember, however, that when you undertake to raise 
perennials from seed, you should have the hope of living 
several years; else you may plant and leave it to men, who 
shall come after you, to gather the fruit thereof. Happy is 
the perennial seed that comes up in less than three or four 
months; happy is the perennial seedling that achieves a vigor- 
ous tuft of leaves the second year; thrice happy is the owner 
of the seedling that grows to a blooming clump the third 
year. If you have an incurable malady, either confine your- 
self to annuals, or buy full-grown perennials. Only those 
in whose veins the life currents pulse strongly, and have confi- 
dence in the future, can afford to play with perennial seeds, or 
plant young trees. I am willing to gamble with Fate, and 
yearly buy the tardy seed, and only resort to the purchase of 
