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Arthur T. Boddington . 342 West l^^th St.. New Vork City 



The Sowing of Flower Seeds 



The raising of plants from seed is the most natural mode of reproduction; it is from the seed that the most healthy and vigorous 

 plants are produced. 



To obtain good results, secure quality seeds; also a certain amount of care in the sowing and treatment must be taken; this may 



be summed up in the following four points: 



First. — That the seeds have been perfectly ripened. 

 Second. — That they have been properly kept 

 until the period of sowing. 



Third. — That they be sown at the proper time. 

 Fourth. — That the sowing be performed in the 

 proper manner. 



Many of the flower seeds used in the garden are 

 started in the greenhouse or sunny window during 

 the winter and early spring months. 



Seed-pans or shallow flats should be used. These 

 receptacles should have plenty of drainage, con- 

 sisting of potsherds or any rough, open material. 

 The soil should be an even mixture of sand, leaf soil 

 and loam, finely sifted; before sowing, this should 

 be firmly and evenly pressed. If the soil is dry, 

 it should be watered and rendered somewhat moist 

 a few hours before sowing. 



The main consideration which will enable any 

 one to determine the depth at which the seeds 

 should be sown must always be this, — that the soil 

 is the medium which, in the first place, is to keep 

 the seeds sufficiently moist for germination; secondly, 

 and only in those cases in which the seedlings will 

 continue their development on the spot where they 

 have germinated, the soil must be looked upon as 

 essential for the fixing of the plant. In practice, 

 where the seedlings are transplanted when very 

 yourg, the covering of the seeds with soil is not 

 essential if we only keep the seed-pans covered with 

 a piece of glass, or even paper, in order to prevent 

 a too-rapid evaporation of the moisture. 



In the sowing of very small seeds, e.g., calceolarias,, 

 gloxinias, begonias, etc., no covering of soil should' 

 be put on the seeds at all. Larger seeds, such as. 

 salvia, cyclamen, etc., may be covered with fine 

 soil to a depth of twice the diameter of the seeds.. 

 After sowing, great care must be taken that the 

 seed-beds should never be allowed to become dry,, 

 and very great care must be taken in the watering,, 

 especially of the finer seeds. 



The best way to moisten the seed-pans containing 

 the fine seeds is by dipping the pans in a pail of.' 

 water, and allow the water to rise naturally. 

 The three main essentials which all plant life- 

 requires — and this relates to seedlings as well as mature plants — are moisture, heat and air. 



The seed-beds should just be kept moist — they should never be allowed to become sodden. A safe guide for temperature is that 

 for proper germination the temperature should be a little higher than the mature plant requires for proper development. 



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 following spring. There is not room in this article for the treatment of 

 the young .seedlings, but, as they appear, more air and light should be gradually given or the seedlings will be weak and drawn. 



There are many seeds of flowers which may be sown out in the open ground, such as alyssum, candytuft, calliopsis, nasturtium, 

 sweet peas, etc. These should be sown after all danger of frost is past, and care should be taken that the soil is in the right condition 

 as to moisture, etc. It is very poor practice to sow when the ground is too wet. 



The .soil should be finely prepared by forking over and raking the surface evenly. The seeds should be sown in drills, the depth 

 of the drills to be governed by the variety of seed to be sown. It is different in the case of sowing seeds in the open from sowing 

 under glass; as, outside, the dry winds or hot spring weather may easily cause a temporary or fatal stoppage of growth. These evils 

 must be overcome by covering the seeds with sufficient soil to prevent their drying out, yet they must not be sown so deep as to 

 cut off the supply of air. A good rule to follow as to the depth that seeds sown outdoors should be, is to cover with a layer equal to, 

 four times their diameter. In the case of small seeds, a light shading should be given with branches or cheese-cloth. 



A Vase of Astermums 



