ANNUALS AND BIENNIALS 



89 



annual Larkspur, Salpiglossis, Scarlet Sage. Swan River Daisy and 

 Torenia, benefit by being sown indoors in order to give them a growing 

 start before placing in open soil. 



March is the best time to sow. This necessitates procuring a good 

 loam in the Autumn and storing it in the basement. The soil need not 

 be rich, but it should be loose, which can be accomplished by the ad- 

 dition of well-rotted manure, or if this is not available, sifted coal 

 ashes or sand will be useful. This soil should not be allowed to become 

 dry in the basement, but should be moistened every month or oftener, 

 according to its condition. It must not be kept too wet, otherwise it 

 will sour badly. 



Seed must always be sown thinly ; thick sowing is a general cause 

 of failure with annuals. Some seeds, as Petunia, Verbena, ornamental 

 Tobacco, Salpiglossis and Portulaca, are very minute, and should not 

 be covered with soil. A newspaper and a pane of glass placed over the 

 pot or box will retain the moisture and keep the sunlight from the 

 seed. When the seed is not covered, the soil should be thoroughly 

 watered before sowing. Larger seeds are best sown in rows and should 

 be covered with soil about three times their diameter. To keep out 

 the light and prevent the pots from drying, the use of newspaper over 

 the pots is excellent. As soon as the seedhngs get above the soil, they 

 should be given the best light conditions, otherwise they will become 

 very spindling and weak. Good light and rather cool conditions in- 

 doors, together with thorough but not too frequent watering, should 

 produce stocky plants. 



Excepting such as Mignonette, Sweet Sultan, Love-in-a-Mist, 

 Heliotrope, and the Poppy -like plants, as Eschscholtzia, Argemone and 

 Papaver, most annuals can be successfully transplanted. When seeds 

 of these latter are sown they are best placed in very small pots, using 

 only two or three seeds in a pot. 



Transplanting 



Seedlings may be transplanted when very small; in fact, after the 

 appearance of several leaves, if the plants are becoming crowded, they 

 should be transplanted into boxes about three inches deep, setting them 

 several inches apart each way. The earliness of sowing the seed will 

 govern the amount and need for transplanting. Transplanting is 

 beneficial to many seedlings because it causes the root tips to branch, 

 making a well balanced root system. 



Time to Sow Out-of-Doors 



When the soil is warmed a little in the Spring most annuals can be 

 sown directly in the open soil; but a few are tender, that is, they will 



