March, 1907 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



65 



beams, a deep primrose or creamy yellow 

 tint. 



Class IV. Freaks. — These are abortive 

 forms and are only desirable as a floral 

 curiosity. The standards are shortened or 

 poorly developed, and the flowers have a 

 closed or bud-like form. In this class the 

 Red Ridinghood, White Snapdragon and 

 Salvation Lassie are the most distinct and 

 desirable. 



Class V. Doubles. — Double-flowered 

 sweet peas are not a distinct class as the 

 double flowers are likely to come on many of 

 the grandiflora class when grown under 

 exceptionally favorable conditions, but a 

 number of the seed houses have special stocks 

 of seed saved from double flowers only and 

 these, of course, are more likely to produce the 

 double flowers. In these the Double White, 

 Double Apple Blossom, or Bride of Niagara, 

 Double Captain of the Blues, Double Splen- 

 dor and Double Boreatton not only produce 



the largest and most double flowers, but come 

 almost uniformly double. 



Class VI. Cupids and Bush. — These make 

 dwarf, compact plants, the deep green 

 foliage of the Cupids spreading like a mossy 

 carpet on the soil, while the bush plants are 

 erect but compact, and only eighteen inches 

 in height. These do well in dry or rainless 

 locations, as the plants root deeply and flower 

 freely during the hottest weather, but if cool 

 rains prevail, the dense foliage is liable to 

 mildew or rot off; hence, they are not satis- 

 factory for growing where the ordinary tall 

 or running varieties succeed. Both classes 

 have almost as many distinct varieties as the 

 tall type, but the best results are generally 

 had with those of early-flowering habit, such 

 as Pink Cupid and Blanche Ferry Cupid, or 

 by sowing the seed in mixture of the different 

 kinds. 



Class VII. Notches. — In the older varieties 

 those having the short, erect standard were 



likely to have a slight notch, or nick, in the 

 centre of the standard, while in the blue- 

 edged section, like the Butterfly, the notches 

 were at the sides of the standard and near the 

 base. The notch in the centre of the stand- 

 ard has been entirely bred out of the grandi- 

 flora type, but the side notch occasionally 

 appears in some of the new, large-flowered 

 Eckford novelties. The best and most 

 distinct sorts having the notch in the centre of 

 the standard are: Emily Henderson, pure 

 paper white; Blanche Ferry, pink standard, 

 white wings; Coccinea, bright cherry red; 

 Scarlet Gem, bright scarlet; American, 

 heavily striped with bright red on silvery 

 white. 



In the type having the standards notched 

 at the sides, the best varieties are: Lottie 

 Eckford, large silvery white, with soft 

 lavender shaded edges; Maid of Honor, a 

 larger, better flower than the Butterfly, with 

 blue shadings on silver white. 



The Whole Art of Managing Coldframes— By George Standen, 



EXPLAINING JUST HOW TO GAIN FOUR TO SIX WEEKS ON ALL IMPORTANT VEGETABLES, AT SMALL 

 EXPENSE— ALSO HOW TO HAVE THREE KINDS OF VEGETABLES THE BEST PART OF THE WINTER 



Yonkera, 

 N. Y. 



EVERY family ought to have a coldframe 

 because it can gain from four to six 

 weeks on the season of early vegetables, 

 merely by sowing seeds in a coldframe on the 

 first of March, as is indicated in the accom- 

 panying table, which shows for each veg- 

 etable how much can be gained over the 

 regular outdoor cultivation by the aid of 

 coldframes. 



TABLE SHOWING GAIN MADE BY COLDFRAME 



Sown March 1st 

 (in Coldframe) 



Bean 



Beet 



Cabbage. . . 



Carrot 



Cauliflower 



Kohlrabi 



Lettuce. . . . 

 Parsley .... 



Pea 



Radish .... 

 Spinach . . . 



Transplanted 



Mar. 25th 

 April 1 st 



April 1 st 

 April 1st 



Mar. 20th 



Ready to Eat 



May 8th 



May 20th 



June 8th 



May 15th 



June 8th 



May 15th 



May 1st 



May 15th 



May 8th 

 April 15th 



May 8th 



June 15th 

 June 25th 

 April 1st 

 June 15th 

 April 1st 

 June 15th 

 June 1st 

 June 15th 

 June 8th 

 May 15th 

 June 15th 



There are three other reasons why you 

 should have a coldframe: 



1. You can have lettuce, radishes and 

 spinach a good part of the winter. 



2. You can have the choicest foxglove, 

 larkspur and cosmos only by aid of a cold- 

 frame. 



3. The highest qualities of pansies, violets, 

 English daisies, polyanthus, and auricula are 

 flowered only in a coldframe, where you may 

 have them between February and April. 



Coldframes can be used to good advantage 

 for a number of early vegetables. A spot 

 that is sheltered from north and west winds 

 and facing south is preferable, in order to 

 obtain all the sunlight. 



If coldframes have been idle all winter, 

 take off about two inches of the old surface 

 soil and spade the balance up well with a 

 spading fork. Give it a good sprinkling of 

 air slaked lime to sweeten it. If the days 

 are mild, remove the sash, putting it on again 

 at night; let it remain in this condition until 

 ready for planting. Just before planting, 

 spread a dressing three inches thick of well- 

 decayed manure and a sprinkling of com- 

 mercial fertilizer over the surface of the soil, 

 and thoroughly work them in. With an 

 iron-toothed rake smooth the surface until 

 the soil is rather fine. Warm up the soil 

 for a day or so by keeping the sash on tight, 

 and this will greatly assist the germination 

 of the seeds 



A most important point for success is in 

 properly sowing the seeds; put in drills which 

 are one-half an inch deep, cover, and firm the 

 soil. After this is completed, the sash may 

 remain on and a close atmosphere be 

 maintained until the young seedlings ap- 

 pear, which will be in about ten days. 

 Have the sides and ends of the frames banked 

 with good stable litter or leaves to keep out 

 the cold, and cover the sash with salt hay, 

 mats or shutters at night, and at other times 

 when the mercury goes below the freezing 

 point, which is often the case; sometimes the 

 mercury will go as low as io°. Remove the 

 covering on all bright and mild days. A good 

 indication of the proper time to cover the 

 frames is when the glass begins to frost over. 



Airing or ventilating should be watched 

 for the weather in March is very uncertain. 

 Some days, the temperature outside will be 

 as high as 55 in the shade, and other days 

 will be dull and cold, with the temperature 

 below the freezing point. As soon as the 

 seedlings are up air the frame on all days 

 when it can be done without submitting 



the plants to danger of frost and avoid cold 

 draughts, and close them about fifteen min- 

 utes before the sun is off them. While the 

 seedlings are small, keep the temperature of 

 the frames from 55 to 65 . 



WATERING 



Water the plants in the frame between ten 

 and two o'clock, so that they may have a 

 chance to dry off before the frames are closed 

 for the night. Young seedlings need water- 

 ing as soon as the surface of the soil looks 

 dry; use a fine-rosed watering can and give 

 a thorough soaking, taking care not to wash 

 the seedlings out of the soil. Examine the 

 condition of the soil by taking it in the hands 

 and squeezing it; if it holds together the beds 

 will not need water, but if, on the other hand, 

 the soil falls apart, like ashes, then it needs a 

 thorough watering, not merely a surface 

 wetting. Always watch the top end of the 

 frames, as that part always dries out more 

 rapidly, because it has more sun and a better 

 circulation of air. 



When the seeds have made their first true 

 leaves, transplant them into other frames, for 

 if they are not separated, they will crowd 

 one another. Set the plants about four 

 inches apart each way, shade for a day or so 

 or until they take hold of the new soil, then 

 gradually inure them to the sunlight. 

 Sprinkle the plants frequently to keep them 

 from wilting. Stir the surface of the soil 

 at least once a week, and remove all weeds 

 as they appear. 



HARDENING OFF 



Before transplanting the seedlings to the 

 open ground, they must be hardened off. 

 This process needs one to two weeks. To 

 do this, air is admitted in larger and larger 

 quantities until the sashes are removed 



