74 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



Gaining a Whole Month 



MARCH is the great month for starting 

 flower seeds indoors in order to gain 

 three or four weeks on the season. All the 

 popular annuals should be started now. No 

 greenhouses are necessary, not even a hot- 

 bed or coldframe, though the best results 

 come from such. Earliness alone would 



117. Bore holes in the bottom of the flat for 

 drainage. Partly cover the holes with large concave 

 pieces of crocK 



118. Put in the bottom the lumps and rough stuff 

 that does not pass through the screen 



119. Smooth the £aTth both before and after sowing 

 the seeds. Especially important for fine seeds 



hardly be worth striving for, if a plant 

 bloomed for a definite period, say four 

 weeks, because what you would gain at one 

 end would be lost at the other. But in many 

 cases, especially verbenas and petunias, a 

 month earlier means a clear gain of thirty 

 days, for the same plants, with good man- 

 agement, will continue to bloom until frost. 



PLANTING THE SEEDS 



Get or make some shallow boxes three 

 inches or more deep and small enough to 

 lift easily. For drainage, bore holes in the 

 box and put a layer of coarse material in the 

 bottom. Sifted soil which has been made 

 rich with old manure will give the best results. 

 Sprinkle in rows an inch or two apart and the 

 seeds a depth which will be about four times 

 their diameter. Put large ones in about 

 half an inch and very fine ones hardly more 

 than below the surface. After planting, press 

 the surface with a piece of board, moisten the 

 soil with a bulb sprayer, without washing the 

 seed out. This keeps them from drying out. 



TRANSPLANTING SEEDLINGS INDOORS 



When the seedlings are large enough to be 

 transplanted, put them into a basin of slightly 

 warm water while waiting for their turn to be 

 set in their new quarters. Keep in a shaded 

 place for a few days; a bright sun would cause 

 them to wilt if they are exposed to it before 

 the roots have taken fresh hold of the soil. 



HOME-MADE TRANSPLANTING DEVICES 



There are many things which will make sat- 

 isfactory receptacles for transplanted seed- 

 lings. For special kinds or single plants it will 

 pay to have a supply of two-inch pots, but for 

 ordinary purposes a less expensive method 

 will be just as good. Common grape baskets, 

 the kind that are made in one piece, do very 

 well for about a dozen seedlings. Tin 

 cracker-boxes are used also; some measuring 

 six by eighteen inches and two inches or 

 more deep were painted to prevent rust, and 

 have been in use many years. Of course, 

 "flats" and florists seed-pans are as useful for 

 transplanting as for the original seed. Card- 

 board cracker-boxes make very good tem- 

 porary seedling holders. The regular size 

 will accommodate a half-dozen or more, and 

 cut in two and stood on end they are useful 

 for single plants. Egg shells, gourds and 

 cocoanut shells are all used for this purpose, 

 but are not so economical of space as more 

 compactly shaped receptacles. When trans- 

 planting, allow as much space as you can 

 afford. If the young plants are set too near 

 together their roots will intertwine and it will 

 be difficult to prevent breaking them when 

 transplanting to open ground later on. 



OTHER GOOD SUGGESTIONS 



It is very important that the seedlings 

 should not become spindly. To prevent 

 this, keep them in strong light or sunshine; 

 do not give them too much manure in the 

 soil; turn the boxes occasionally, so that one 

 side is not always next the window, and do 

 not allow the room to become too heated. 



Some markers for the seeds will be found 

 indispensable. The tops of grape baskets 



furnish good home-made labels, as they may 

 be split into any width desired and the 

 smooth surface is very handy for writing the 

 names and dates. 



An old fork will be useful to work the soil 

 around the seedlings. A piece of table oil- 

 cloth to spread on the floor, when working 

 in the window garden, will be a good pro- 

 tection for the carpet and an easily removed 

 receptacle for any water or litter which may 

 drop to the floor. 



House-grown seedlings are much better for 

 being hardened before transplanting in the 

 open garden. Put them outdoors in a 

 sheltered place on pleasant days so they will 

 become gradually accustomed to outside 

 conditions. 



New York. Albert R. Mason. 



120. Sow the seeds carefully and evenly. It pays 

 to take time and do it well 



121. Sift loam lightly over the seeds. This is the 

 way to get a light, even covering 



122. A thrifty lot of young seedlings all ready 

 to transplant to another box where they will have 

 more room 



