6 
KENDALL AND WHITNEY'S 
even should the weather change to be sufficiently mild and open to permit of their 
being sown earlier, no reliance can be placed on its continuance. In any case it is 
advisable to sow but a portion of each packet in the first instance, the remaining 
seed being reserved for subsequent sowing in case of failure. 
Mode of Sowing. — Seeds may be sown in patches among the border plants, in 
rows or groups where they are to remain, or in a nursery bed and afterwards trans- 
planted. As a general rule the surface soil should be rather dry than otherwise at 
the moment of sowing, and the operation never should be undertaken when the 
ground is very wet, especially at an early period of the spring. Whenever it may 
be desirable for some special reason to sow when the ground is too damp, the sur- 
face should be scraped off to the depth of an inch or two, and its place supplied 
by a handful of dry soil, on which the seed may be sown. In the case of seeds of 
a moderate size, the surface soil may be scraped aside with the edge of a trowel 
to the depth of a quarter of an inch, and around the circumference of the slight 
hollow thus made, the seeds may be thinly strewn, the soil being then re-turned 
and gently pressed flat with the hand or trowel. If the soil should be of an adhe- 
sive nature, the pressure should be very slight or the surface will cake ; it will be 
better in this case to cover the seed with a light sandy loam or other friable soil, 
instead of that of the border where the sowing is made. It is p>articularly re- 
quisite that seeds should not be sown too deep, from whence arise most of the fail- 
ures of inexperienced gardeners. The depth at which seeds are sown will vary 
with their size ; large seeds such as those of the Lupins, Sweet Pea, or Marvel of 
Peru, may be three-quarters of an inch deep ; other varieties from an eighth to 
half an inch deep, according to the size or nature of the seed. Some that are 
very small require to be sown on the actual surface, a slight pressure being then 
sufficient to imbed them to a proper depth. For a majority of the seeds a very 
thin covering suffices ; if sown too deep they are longer in germinating, and the 
small ones are liable to decay. It sometimes insures a more even distribution of 
very small seeds, such as those of Campanula, Digitalis, etc., if they are intimate- 
ly mixed before soAving with a little fine, dry soil, the mixture being sown in the 
same way as the seeds. Wooly seeds which adhere to each other, like the Globe 
Amaranthus, etc., should be rubbed with a little fine sand, which will generally 
separate them. In all cases the more thinly the seeds are strewn, the better ; when 
ing pot. Rain water is preferable. In the absence of rain this application must 
be repeated every day or two, for it is important to observe that when once the 
seeds have begun to swell, they are peculiarly susceptible to injury from drought, 
and will speedily perish, unless the soil be maintained in a moist condition— to 
neglect of this important precaution, many failures are solely attributable, and the 
seedsman unjustly blamed. On the other hand an excess of moisture previous to 
germination will often cause the seed to decay, especially in cold seasons ; early 
in the spring therefore, the water-pot must be used with judgment, and never 
late in the day when frosts threaten. 
Tkansplanting — As soon as the seedlings are an inch high, such of the patches 
as are too thick should be carefully thinned out, especially about the center of 
the tuft. The seedlings removed, may, if thought desirable be replanted, and 
will generally bloom a week or ten days after the others. As a general rule tap- 
>Tp TiiiZh rr Q 7,' Z ana umess tne soii is wet, the seedlings should 
be slightly watered, to settle the soil about the fibres, shading them for two or three 
f° i 1(1 thG the f be Simn ^ the dwarf-growing varieties 
Jfothemm I 1^°^ f d the taller ones in the rear - As they increase in size 
tie them up to neat stakes, to prevent the rain and wind from prostrating them. 
alr^aivi™^ A , N ? TE ™ER A.NNUAL8. — The term "half-hardy" as has 
freelvHn the 52 ed ' ? apph< ? d t0 ^ Aunuals which > th ™S» they will flower 
tion Cn 4mS 2i g - Un i-' reqm ? a . rtlficial heat t0 assist germination, and protec- 
tion tiom atmospheric changes dm their growth Many 
&X rf a»ff^ ^ an ^iofalTalue frol 
nowermg after most of the Hardy Annuals are out of bloom. The ordinary hot- 
