j^ARKER 8j ^OOD, pEED pATALOGU E. 6^ 



BRIEF DIRECTIONS 



For the 



e ah Treatment of Iwwm Seeds. 



JLM Flowers raised from Seed are usually known as Annuals, 

 Biennials , or Perennials, 



ANNUALS are raised from ihe seed, perfect their flowers, mature their seed, the same season, and then perish. 

 "They are divided as follows: Hardy, half-hardy, and tender. Hardy annuals are such as will bear a hard frost; half- 

 ■hardy annuals will bear but little; tender annuals will not bear the frost at all. 



BIENNIALS flower the second and sometimes the third year from the time the seeds are sown, and then perish. 

 PERENNIALS do not in their growth form either trees or shrubs, but lose their tops, wholly or in part, every yea* 

 after they have done flowering. The roots continue to live and generate for several years successively. 



Biennials and perennials are hardy, half-hardy, and tender. Hardy biennials and perennials stand 

 •the hardest winter without protection ; half-hardy require to be well protected ; and tender biennials and perennials must 

 tie kept where frost will not touch them. 



With regard to the proper time for sowing seed in the open ground, much depends on the char- 



acter of the season. The general rule recommended has been to sow 

 hardy annuals from the middle of April to the first of May; half-hardy, 

 first of May; and tender annuals, last of May and first of June. But, 

 from our own experiense, we are convinced that more disappointment 

 results from too early sowing than from any other cause. The general 

 rule that we would recommend is not to sow even hardy annuals before 

 the middle of May. We would much rather, as a general thing, defer 

 sowing them until the first part of June than to sow them as early as 

 the middle of April. The half-hardy and tender annuals we would 

 sow from the latter part of May to the ioth of June, or even some 

 days later if necessary. Biennials and perennials may be sown at 

 any time from the middle of April to the first of July; but, in order to 

 get good strong flowering-plants for the following season, we would 

 Common Violets. advise to sow them as early as the ioth of June. 



Seeds may he sown in patches among the horder-plants, in rows, or groups, where they are 

 <to remain, or in a nursery-bed, and afterwards transplanted. 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 surface should be scraped off to the depth of an inch or two, and its place supplied by dry soil, 

 on which the seeds may be sown. In the case of seeds of a moderate size, the surlace-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 returned and gently pressed flat with the hand or trowel. If the soil 

 •should be of an adhesive nature, the pressure should be very slight, or the surface will cake. It will be better in this case 

 to cover the seeds with a little sandy loam, or other friable soil, instead of that where the sowing is made. 



It is particularly requisite that seeds should not he sown too deep, from whence arise 

 many of the failures of inexperienced gardeners. The depth at which the seeds are sown will vary with 

 their size. Large seeds, such as those of the Lupinus, Sweet Pea, or Marvel of Peru, may be three-quarters of an inch 

 deep; other varieties from an eighth to a half 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 embed them to a proper depth. 

 For the 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 intimately mixed, before sowing, with a little fine, dry soil; the mixture being sown in the same 

 way as the seeds. Woolly 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 

 too thickly sown, the seedlings become elongated and sickly, — an evil which no subsequent thinning out will entirely 

 remedy. 



If the soil he dry, and the weather sunny, it will be necessary to water the seeds slightly from a very 

 fine rose watering-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 begin 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 precau- 

 tion, many failures are solely attributable. 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 frost threatens. 



