Directions for Seed Sowing 



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

 be mellow and friable, a mixture of loam, sand and thoroughly rotted manure or leaf 

 mould. Annuals such as Eschscholtzias, Poppies, Mignonette, 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 room to develop. 

 Cosmos can be planted the same way and transplanted if too thick. 



Petunias, Pansies. Stocks, Asters, Carnations, Dianthus, Daisies, Browallia, Dahlias, 

 Geraniums, 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 the plants firmly in the 

 ground, and also to keep out sun and air. 



Water carefully and deep, and when the ground settles, draw 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, 

 Poppies, Nasturtiums, Eschscholtzias, 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 allowing 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 carefully prepared, press down level, and sow seeds on surface, sift the lightest 

 covering of sphagnum 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 the 

 shade; transplant when second or third leaves appear where plants are to grow. Shade 

 till well established. 



Petunia seed, though fine, does much better if gtown 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 wltn a frame around it, and a covering of cloth, is very 

 suitable, where one has but a 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 becomes hardened, cr 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. Thev are from a half inch to five and six inches long, the small 

 ones are equally mischievous. Set traps of carrots and cabbage leaves, or any succu- 

 lent 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 salt and water. 



Seeds of Begonias 



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

 few, Incarnat'a, Catalina, Smithii, Erfcrdia, and the semperflorens types. The latter seed 

 abundantly and a grown from seed; blooming with their second or third 



Hanging Baskets 



y of pretty hanging baskets from $1.25 up to $2.50. 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. 



