24 
inch of top. If you wish to take the 
trouble, bake the soil first to kill some 
of the weed seeds. We always bring 
into the cellar a big box of earth from 
that prepared for our house plants in 
the fall. If you forget it (as we did 
once) you can buy a supply from the 
local florist. Nothing is better than 
rich leaf mould from the woods, or 
sandy soil mixed with very thoroughly 
rotted fine stable manure. Mix thor- 
oughly and make very light before sift- 
ing. Press down with a board and scat- 
ter seeds evenly over the surface and 
then sift over enough more earth to 
zust cover; press down again, moisten 
with a fine spray and cover the boxes 
with squares of glass. If your cook is 
good natured (or you are your own 
cook) and if you are in a hurry, set the 
boxes behind the kitchen stove until the . 
seeds begin to germinate, which will be 
marvelously soon. We use a rubber 
bulb with very fine spray, for watering, 
which should not be done until the sur- 
face dries a little. 
I use an extra bedroom with south 
windows, in which to grow my seed- 
lings, but they may of course be dis- 
tributed about if one cannot spare a 
vacant room. The extent to which these 
experiments in the early starting of 
seeds are carried depends largely upon 
how ardent a gardener one happens to 
be! I have an enthusiastic friend who 
gives up to his tiny potted seedlings a 
big bay window in his dining room. 
They are not especially ornamental, but 
so very interesting that horticultural 
callers always gravitate naturally in 
that direction. 
After the seeds are well started, re- 
move glass, and watch sharply at this 
time, as growth is rapid, especially if 
one is trying the kitchen stove forcing. 
I once lost an entire crop of young seed- 
lings, which shot up with such rapidity 
as to bump their heads against the glass 
and become hopelessly deformed. Also 
watch closely for signs of “damping- 
off,” which may sweep away your whole 
planting. My only remedy is to pull out 
affected plants, and hurry up the trans- 
planting, which is to be into other boxes 
in regular rows—plants apart an inch 
or even less each way. [“Damping” is 
in reality a fungus and may be some- 
what controlled by scattering hot sand 
over the surface of the seed bed.—Ed. | 
Large seeds are best sown singly in shallow rows. 
Small seeds may be in rows on the surface or broad- 
cast 
THE . G A-R D EON SAL GAZING: 
A “flat” is a shallow box for starting seeds. After 
sowing, smooth the surface soil and firm slightly with 
a piece of board z 
When healthy and well grown, trans- 
plant again farther apart into similar 
boxes or small paper pots. Seedlings 
not affected by damping may grow lon- 
ger, until true leaves develop, and re- 
quire only one transplanting before 
being taken outdoors. Tomatoes should 
be set into the coldframe, as they re- 
quire to be well grown and stocky be- 
fore putting into permanent place. 
As to the temperature when raising 
these little seedlings, keep as near 50 or 
60 degrees at night as is convenient, and 
70 or so during the day. While the 
glass is over the boxes keep watch lest 
the air should get too hot during sunny 
days; shift the glass a little to give air. 
Open a window a while when mild, for 
these small plants, like our regular win- 
dow gardens, require good ventilation 
in order to flourish. Never let them get 
too dry, as the tiny rootlets are very 
delicate. Keep a steel kitchen fork at 
hand, and after the small plants are 
well established, stir the earth between 
the rows. Turn boxes and pots every 
day as the slender stalks stretch rapidly 
to the sun; I always set my paper pots 
of seedlings in paper dry goods boxes, 
for convenience in turning. 
Other annuals, as Marigolds (French 
and African), German Asters, Zinnias, 
Schizanthus, Salpiglossis, etc., we sow 
broadcast in early May, in sections of 
the coldframes, sifting earth over the 
seeds and pressing down with a board, 
and labeling each section. Keep well 
watered with a fine spray; lift glass 
during middle of day during a possible 
“hot spell.” If one has always consid- 
ered it too much of an undertaking to 
fix a coldframe, I advise a change of 
mind without delay! A little help at 
the start and a very slight expense as to 
boarding and a couple or so of old sash, 
and the thing is accomplished! And of 
of course ready-made frames may be 
bought “knocked down.” It is truly 
surprising how many seedlings may be 
raised in even one frame, if that must 
be the limit of equipment. 
When danger of frost is over, trans- 
plant into permanent place in the gar- 
den. Asters, Zinnias, Cosmos, Mari- 
golds, etc., we plant in parallel rows, 
filling empty corners, and spaces made 
vacant by very early bloomers, with the 
extra ones. Use the garden line as a 
marker, patting it down in the soft 
earth with the hoe, to make a visible 
line; remove, and bring a pan, or box, 
full of the young plants. Thrust trowel 
FEBRUARY, 1916 
into earth in designated place, work it 
back and forth once or twice, and into 
the crevice thus formed hold a seed- 
ling; remove trowel, pour in carefully 
a little water and fill in and then “firm” 
the earth around the little plant by 
pressure of the fingers; proceed at reg- 
ular intervals. This is the most rapid 
and effective method of transplanting. 
When planting Asters work a little 
wood ashes into soil; it lessens danger 
from both cutworms and root lice, be- 
sides being a fertilizer. 
Mourning Bride, double annual Lark- 
spur (one of the most beautiful and 
valuable of the fairly recent novelties 
and which gives us almost the latest 
blossoms in the garden), Nasturtiums, 
Mignonette, Sweet Alyssum, we find do 
as well planted directly in their per- 
manent positions after danger from 
frost is past. We plant all of these in 
parallel rows, pulling out seedlings 
until the remainder stand about four 
inches apart. Of these, all (except 
Mignonette) may be transplanted to fill 
vacant places. My experience, how- 
ever, is that nearly everything may be 
transplanted, if done carefully, holes 
half filled with water and earth sifted 
in and then firmed; select a cloudy day 
if possible or make the best of the mo- 
ments before an impending shower. 
Especially choice or well-beloved speci- 
mens may be covered with empty flower 
pots; or, with two long boards brought 
together at top to form an inverted 
“Vv”: or with shingles canted effectively 
against the sun. Last year, in face of 
the jeers of my family, I even tried 
transplanting self-sown Poppies, pro- 
ceeding calmly with a long row border- 
ing the entire length of my garden walk, 
and a gorgeous band of brilliant color 
rewarded my efforts and confounded 
the family’s Cassandra-like predictions. 
When starting Poppies, however, it is | 
best to sow broadcast in permanent po- 
sition. The poetical direction of a bo- 
tanical authority, “Plant poppies on the 
vanishing snow,” has always clung in 
my mind. These may be planted at two 
weeks interval, if wished, in order to 
insure a long blossoming time. 
Even without either hotbed or greenhouse, 
arrangement may be devised for taking advantage of 
the house heat for getting a start 
some 
