FLOWER SEED DEPARTMENT. 



We give close atleiili'in to this departnient, which is probably the largest in quantity ;wid 

 variety in this country. 



;\ Our constant aim is to secure tlie very best strains obtainaljle, botli of home and foreign 



■'vowth, and we spare no pains or expense with this object in view. Our strains of 



Asters, Carnations, Cineraria, Pansy, Petunia, Primula, Verbena, etc., are grown by 



the leading private gardeners and commercial florists of the United Stales and 



\ Canada, and are acknowledged to be superior in all respects. 



Success with Flower Seeds. 



We are convinced that many of the failures with flower seeds are due to 

 lack of proper conditions ; and while it would be impossilile in the space at 

 our disposal in this catalogue to give explicit directions for each and every 

 \ ariety which we ofler (but which is given on each packet of flower seeds we 

 sell), we feel sure that if the general directions given below are followed 

 I hat success will be the rule. These directions, we may say, are written for 

 the latitude of Philadelphia. Customers living in other sections can readily 

 adapt them to their localities. 



For all flower seeds which should be started indoors, and this includes 

 many of our best and brightest summer flowers, including Heliotrope, 

 ( 'elosia. Lobelia, Salvia, Vinca, Verbena, etc., the best plan is to sow in 

 earthenware Seed Pans, House Frames — see illustrations, etc. — or boxes 

 (about 2 inches deep), which should be filled to the depth of an inch with 

 bioken pots, coal ashes, or any rough material that will furnish perfect drain- 

 .age. The upper inch should be nicely sifted soil, composed, if possible, of 

 about one-third each sand, leaf mould and light garden loam. Press firm and 

 evenly and water thoroughly the day before sowing. Sow the seeds thinly over 

 the suiface, covering about one-eighth of an inch and pressing firmly, cover with a 

 pane of glass or one or two thicknesses of newspaper, to prevent the too rapid evap- 

 oiation of the moisture, and keep in a temperature between 60° and 70°. Water care- 

 fully as needed. The importance of uniform attention to this detail is one that can only 

 be learned by experience and observation. To omit a single watering, or a too 

 frequent, indiscriminate watering usually leads to failure. Re- 



_-; — f5r"13?— --.^ move the glass, or covering, after the seeds have germinated, 



and when the seedlings are large enough to handle they 

 ' ' \^ should be transplanted into similarly prepared boxes 



\ an inch apart each way, or put into small pots and 

 ' "^ keep in same until time to plant out in the open 

 ^ ground. At all times they should have an abun- 

 dance of air ; otherwise the young seedlings 

 are liable to damp off. 



The Way 



Deliveke"" 



!liq»iare Seed Fans, 



Each. 



Dozen. 



6 in. ....iiO 20 



$2 00 



8 "... . 25 



2 50 



10 " . . . . :io 



3 00 



12 " . . . . 3;". 



8 50 



Selling B'loweus on tui-. Sidewal 



Eastek in PhILADELI'HIA. 



For most of the ordinarv 

 Annual Flowers, such as 

 Sweet Alyssum, Calliopsis, 

 Calendula, Marigold, Miguon 

 ette. Nasturtium, etc., ihesimpl 

 method is to sow directly out 

 doors when danger from frost i 

 in the ^ace where they are 

 to floweV. The ground should be dug 

 and raked fine on the surface, sowing 

 the seeds evenly and thinly, either in 

 lines or beds, covering not over four times their size, and finning 

 the ^r-.'l over them. Should they come up too thickly, as most of 

 them are likely to do, thin out so that the plants will stand from 

 4 to 12 inches apart, according to the variety. This plan is also 

 adapted to many varieties usually started indoors, including 

 Asters, Verbenas, Celosias, Stocks, Salvia, etc., etc.; but as a rule 

 their germination is more certain under glass, and as they begin to 

 flower so much earlier when started indoors, the extra trouble is 

 well repaid for by their increased blooming period. 



The seeds of most Hardy Perennials may be sown at any time 

 from January to October. Early sowing should be made indoors 

 in boxes in the same manner as described above, or they may be 

 sown out of doors in spring after the frost has gone and trans- 

 planted into their flowering position in early autumn or the follow 

 ing spring. Many varieties succeed best sown in autumn, in 

 which case they should be sown in a cold-frame, transferring 

 them to their permanent quarters the following spring. 



each 75 CIS. 



.Asi EKS -AND Lavender," CovENT (jauuen Market, London. 



The full worth of their money to all is the broad principle in which we always deal, and we refer to our reputation as evidence 



that we live up to the precept 



