DIRECTIONS FOR SEED SOWING 



The first requisite for seed beds and boxes is preparation of the soil, which should be mel- 

 low and friable, a mixture of loam, sand and thoroughly rotted manure or leaf mould. An 

 nuals such as Eschscholtzias, Poppies, Migonette, Centaureas, Candytuft, Calliopsis, Zinnias, 

 Marigolds, etc., should be planted where they are to grow, and thinned out when two or three 

 inches high, so each plant may have more room to develop. Cosmos can be planted the same 

 way and transplanted if too thick. 



Petunias, Pansies, Stocks, Asters, Carnations, Dianthus, Daisies, Browallia, Dahlias, Ger- 

 aniums, Heliotrope and many others are best sown in carefully prepared seed beds or cold 

 frames, and transplanted when two or three inches high. Choose the afternoon of a cool day; 

 have the soil moist and mellow, so that it crumbles fine in the hand. Do not allow the air to 

 dry out the fine roots, cover them with paper or cloth, as a moment or two of exposure may 

 cause loss. See that the soil comes in between the roots, — use the fingers for this, do not pack 

 them down all together. It is most important that the soil should be pressed down firmly 

 after setting out, so as to hold plants firmly in the ground, and also to keep out sun and air. 



Water carefully and deep, and when the ground settles, draw dry earth over the wet ground 

 to prevent soil from packing. The next day examine the condition of plants, and if necessary 

 press the soil down firmly with the toe, as evaporation often leaves it loose and porous. These 

 directions apply to setting out any plants, large or small. 



In California, late autumn and early winter are most favorable for sowing Pansies, Pop- 

 pies, Nasturtiums, Eschschotzias, Stocks, and most perennials, as they love the cool weather 

 for developing their roots, though they may be planted at intervals, most of the year and brought 

 on in succession. The most unfavorable time is July, August and September. 



Sweet Peas and all large seeds should be sown two or three inches deep, other seeds cover 

 about their own depth. Press soil down firmly with a board. Water with a fine spray al- 

 lowing it to soak in well. It is a good plan to cover seed beds with a light shading to protect 

 them from the hot sun and drying winds until the plants are well up. 



Fine seeds, like begonias and greenhouse plants, can be sown in cigar boxes with holes 

 in the bottom, which cover with gravel, or broken pots for drainage. Cover with soil, care- 

 fully prepared, press down level, and sow seeds on surface, sift the lightest covering of sphag- 

 num moss over them. Water from below by holding box over a pan of water, allowing the 

 soil to absorb it. Cover with a piece of glass and keep in trie shade; transplant when second 

 or third leaves appear where plants are to grow. Shade till well established. 

 Dolichos should not be planted till April. 



Petuniaseed, though fine, does much better if sown in seed beds in a sheltered place in 

 the garden; they require the lightest covering possible and the watering must be done with 

 a fine spray, so as not to dislodge the seed. Plants grown this way are much more vigorous 

 and not apt to damp off, as those grown in boxes. A cold frame, which is a small seed bed 

 with a frame around it and a covering of cloth, is very suitable, where one has but few seeds. 

 Petunias transplant well when two or three inches high. 



If the seeds of vines such as Ipomea "Heavenly Blue*' and Mina Lobata, are planted in 

 small pots and allowed to- fill up with roots and suffer a little for fresh supplies, the plant be- 

 comes hardened, or matures more rapidly and attains the blooming season earlier. 



These seeds if dropped and sprouted in hard ground in the garden, where their root room 

 is curtailed by hardness or dryness of the soil, are sometimes found blooming when quite young, 

 which shows that starving the roots causes early maturity, which means earlier blooming. 



Watch out for slugs. They are death on young vegetation, and do their mischief at night. 

 They leave their shining trails in greenhouse and gardens. They will often destroy an entire 

 bed of young plants in a single night, and do the most damage in late winter and spring. They 

 are from a half inch to five and six inches long, the small ones are equally mischieveous. Set 

 traps of carrots and cabbage leaves, or any succulent vegetable, of which they are very fond; 

 look out for them in the early morning or at night. To kill them drop them in dry salt or sa v 2t 

 and water 



SEEDS OF BEGONIAS 



Very few varieties of begonias give seed without being hand fertilized. Among the few, 

 Incarnata. Catalina, Foliosa, Smithii, Erfordia. and the semperflorens types. The latter seed 

 abundantly and are easily grown from seed; blooming with their second or third leaves. 



HANGING BASKETS 



We make a specialty of pretty hanging baskets from $1.25 up to $4 or $5. Among the 

 most useful of these is Asparagus Sprengeri which has more power of endurance than almost 

 any other basket plant. We have baskets of ferns, begonias and assorted plants, and can 

 ship them in good condition 



