70 



M. F E R RY & GO'S 



before quite ripe, and, if the weather be dry, let it lie in 

 the swath a few hours, when it should be raked, bound 

 and secured from the weather ; thresh early in the fall, 

 and in dry weather. 



Hemp, {Cannabis sathui). — If raised for manufac- 

 turing, must be sown broadcast, at the rate of one-half 

 bushel to the acre ; if for seed, should be planted in hills 

 four feet apart, and the plants thinned out to three or 

 four most vigorous stems in each hill. 



BIRD SEEDS. 



' anary Seed, (Pkalarzs canariensis), 

 iemp Seed, {_Cannabis sativti). 

 Maw, {Pap aver rhceas). 

 Millet Seed, {Panicum miliaceuin'). 

 Rape Seed, {Brassica napes'). 

 Lettuce Seed, {Lactiica sativa). 



WEj^mwrnm 



BRIEF HINTS ON SOWING AND CULTIVATING. 



SELECTION OF VARIETIES. — Success in flower culture depends quite largely upon a judicious selec- 

 tion of varieties. Every sort we offer is, under certain conditions, attractive and desirable, but some of them, while 

 exceedingly beautiful under favorable circumstances, will be most unsatisfactory and little better thaft weeds under 

 others ; we therefore urge our friends to carefully study the following pages before ordering, that they may select 

 the sorts best suited to their wants. 



THE SOIL. — Another great object to be considered is the soil into which flower seeds are to be sown. The 

 soil best adapted to flowering plants generally, is a light, friable loam, containing a sufficient amount of sand to 

 render it porous. A great many varieties will Hve in almost any kind of soil, except it be extremely dry, calcare- 

 ous, or of a stiff, heavy character; still, to give them a fair chance for development, some little pains should be 

 taken in adding to the soil, as much as possible, what may be wanting in it. ■ Most flowers are better if produced 

 on plants of most vigorous growth, so the greater portion of the garden should be prepared by deep digging, 

 thorough pulverization, and liberal enriching with large quantities of ixieil rotted manure. On the other hand, 

 some sorts do best on very poor soil, so a portion of the garden should be left without enriching at all. As the 

 process of germination is shorter or longer in the different kinds of seeds, the patience of the cultivator is often 

 sorely tried with seeds of a slowly germinating character ; the patience of a devoted florist, however, is never ex- 

 hausted in these manipulations, and the certainty of his final success repays him fully for the trouble. 



SOWING THE SEED. — Nine-tenths of the failures in flower culture come from improper treatment of the 

 seeds and young plants, and we urge every purchaser of our seeds to carefully study the cultural directions printed 

 on each package, and the following general rules: 



Do not pla7it any of t lie seeds -when the groimd is wet. Make the surface as fine and stnooth as possible. 



Cover each sort of seed to a depth proportionate to its size; the finest, like portulaca, not more than one-quar- 

 ter inch deep, those the size of a pin head one-half inch, and those as big as a pea one inch. 



Press the soii doivn firmly o7'er the seed. After making the soil as fine as possible with the rake, make it, for 

 the smaller seeds, still finer, by crumbling the lumps up in the hands. 



Procure a bit of lath (it would be better if planed smooth) about two feet long, press the edge down into the soil 

 evenly, so as to make a groove as deep as the seed is to be planted ; scatter the seed along this, allowing four or 

 five of the larger to fifteen or twenty of the smaller seeds to the space one plant is to occupy when grown. Take 

 care not to spill any of the seeds between the rows. Cover the seed by pinching the earth together over it, then 

 turn your lath flat-ways, and press the soil down firmly an,, evenly. 



Put a little stick at each end of each row ^ so as to mark i then ptill up all weeds that appear between the 

 rows the first day they c « be see7t. Do not pull plants out o. he row unless you are sure they are weeds. 



All flowers raised fr m seed are usually known as Annuals, ■biennials, or Perennials. 



Annuals are those plants which flower or ripen their seeds or fruits the season they are sown, and then perish. 

 T"his class of plants is again divided by the cultivator into two classes — the har."". and half-hardy or tender kinds. 



HARDY ANNUALS are those which require no artificial heat at any per T of their growth, every stage of 

 their development from germination to ripening of the seed, being passed in the op-n ground. 



They are the most easily cultivated of all plants • the number of their varieties is large, and their flowers, when 

 properly grown, are frequently of most attractive beauty and elegance. It is only to be regretted that they are not 

 generally cultivated to that extent to which their merit justly entitles them. The seed may be sown from the first 

 of April to the middle of June, along the border, in little patches four or six inches square, or in drills, on the spot 

 where the^' are wanted to blossom ; and in doing so, care should be taken to have the different varieties arranged Ie 

 such a manner as to produce a pleasing effect when they are in bloom. 



HALF-HARDY ANNUALS are those species that flower and ripen their seeds in the open air, but need 

 the assistance of artificial heat in the earlier stages of their growth. They should be sown in a hot-bed, or in pots 

 in a green-house, if one is available, or in a sunny window. Keep them well shaded, which will prevent absorption 

 by the rays of the sun, and the consequent necessity of frequent watering, which bakes the soil, and does much 

 mischief to seeds of slow growth. Towards the middle or end of May. many of the seedlings will be ready for trans- 

 planting to borders ; but previous to this exposure, It will be necessary to harden them, preparatory to removal, by 

 gradually admitting air to the frame both day and night. 



BIENNIALS AND PERENNIALS.— Biennials are those plants that do not generally flower the first 

 year, and are only in perfection one season. Perennials continue to flower several years in succession. The seed 

 may be sown as has already been stated, at times when the ground is moist, but not very wet, from the first of 

 -April to August. Many of them may be raised in the open ground, like hardy annuals, and transplanted ; but tei? 



