72 



J. M. Thorburn & Co.'s Catalogue of Seeds. 



HALF-HARDY ANNUALS (hhA).— These may be sown in shallow boxes, pots, or a hotbed, as 

 directed for Hardy Annuals. They may be sown thus at any time after the middle of April, as the hotbed 

 will be sufficient protection ; but it is best to cover the glass with a mat or straw at night until danger of frost j! 

 is past. In the day give all the air possible by partly or wholly removing the lights. After the end of May sow 

 in the border, like Hardy Annuals. 



HALF-HARDY BIENNIALS (hhB) and HALF-HARDY PERENNIALS (hhP) require the 

 same treatment. Though plants and their bloom are greatly forwarded by sowing the seeds early in boxes 

 under cover, it may be stated that nearly all kinds of hardy and half-hardy flower seeds may be sown in the 

 open border in a warm and sunny spot, as soon as the soil has become dry and warm ; so that those who have 

 no glass frames or greenhouses need not be without flowers. They can have them, but it will be later. 



TENDER ANNUALS, BIENNIALS and PERENNIALS. — The best method to obtain an early 

 bloom of the Tender Annuals (tA), and to insure strength to the plants, is to sow the seeds in boxes or pots in 

 March, placing them in a warm greenhouse, or plunging in a moderate hotbed, carefully protecting them from 

 the cold, shading from the mid-day sun, and watering with a fine rose. The seed should be sown in very light, 

 sandy compost, and the pots well drained by placing broken pots or bits of sods in the bottom. The finer seeds 

 must not be covered more than an eighth of an inch deep, and the soil pressed down closely over them. Water ; 

 frequently, particularly if the house or hotbed is very warm. As soon as the plants are out of the seed leaf 

 transplant into shallow boxes or small pots, and when they have acquired sufficient strength transplant into the 

 flower beds ; not, however, before the middle of May. 



GREENHOUSE SEEDS (g) should be sown as directed for Tender Annuals, in pans, pots or shallow 

 boxes, and be kept in the house, carefully watched, slightly watered occasionally, and sheltered from the hot 

 sun till strong enough to transplant. Most varieties may be sown at any season of the year. 



The smaller seeds of Greenhouse Plants are sometimes difficult to germinate, unless great care be taken in 

 the mode of sowing. Hence the supposition is produced that the seed itself is not good, whereas the fault is not 

 in the seed, but in the treatment. Fine seeds of this description should be sown in leaf-mold or peat, with some 

 fine sand added to it ; press firmly down in the seed-pan or pot, and make perfectly level at the top, so that the 

 mold may not afterward sink materially with watering. Sow the seed very thin, and cover very lightly with a 

 little compost, or with silver sand. Success is more certain if a pane of glass is placed over the pan or box till 

 the plants have appeared, when it should be removed. By this method the difficulty of starting fine seeds will 

 be removed. As soon as the young plants have two leaves, they should be transplanted into similar compost in 

 another pan or box. To do this, do not pull them out of the seed-pan, but break up the soil by running a stick 

 or trowel under it, when the plants can be taken out with good roots. After transplanting they should be kept ! 

 in a shady part of the greenhouse for a few days, until they are somewhat established in the new soil. 



There are many minute plants from the finer seeds killed by drenching with water while very young. 

 One way to avoid this is to give the water by dipping a clothes-brush in water, shaking off the greater part of 

 the water from the brush, and then (holding the brush over the seed-pan) drawing the hand over the bristles 

 several times, which will cause the water to be thrown on the young plants almost like dew. Some of the 

 vaporizers and atomizers (as used for perfumes) now in use are admirably adapted for watering tender young 

 plants. In the first stage of their existence, plants require moisture in a minute quantity, often repeated, and 

 not in such large quantities as to saturate the soil in which they are growing. 



Primula Chinensis. — The Chinese Primrose is deservedly one of our most popular winter-blooming 

 plants. For winter use, it is easily raised from good seed, if sown at the right time and properly treated. Sow 

 the seed in drills, in a light, rich soil, in shallow boxes at any time from the middle of March to the middle of 

 May ; the earliest sown seed will naturally produce the earliest bloom. Cover the seeds about an eighth of an 

 inch, and press the soil on them with a board or the bottom of a pot. Water moderately, avoid forcing the seed, 

 and keep the young plants away from drip. The boxes may be placed in the greenhouse, or out of doors in a 

 frame. As soon as the plants are well out of the seed-leaf, transplant them singly into two or two-and-a-half 

 inch pots, using a light, rich soil. The object now is to make good, stocky plants, and they must therefore be 

 repotted as often as the pots become tolerably filled with roots, until they are in five or six-inch pots, when they 

 may be allowed to flower. Previous to this, any flower stalks that appear must be pinched out. In a suitable 

 place the plants will do better out of doors than in the greenhouse during summer. They need a liberal supply 

 of water. The plants will bloom continuously during the winter in either the greenhouse or a well-lighted 

 sitting-room, not too warm. 



Cineraria. — Years ago the Cineraria was a popular plant among florists. Bedding plants crowded it 

 aside, but it is now fast taking its proper place again among choice winter blooming plants. It is, to be sure, 

 a rather difficult plant to grow and bloom well if its requirements are not understood. The mistake generally 

 made is in growing it in a warm house instead of a cool one. The seed should be started in the greenhouse. 

 For winter blooming, sow the seed in April and May, in shallow boxes, in fine soil ; drop the seed in shallow 

 drills, cover, and press the earth rather firmly with a piece of board or the bottom of a pot. Set the box 

 where it will get the morning sun, but be free from drip; water moderately and carefully. The treatment of 

 the seedlings should be similar to that given to the Chinese Primrose. As soon as the plants are out of the seed- 

 leaf, transplant singly into small pots, in a rich soil with some vegetable mold in it. Repot as often as the pots 

 become moderately filled with roots, or sufficiently often to prevent the roots from becoming pot-bound, and so 

 avoid checking the growth. If specimen plants are wanted, the repotting should be continued till the plants 

 are in pots from eight to ten inches in diameter. The last two pottings should be liberal ones, and drainage 



