How to Sow Flower Seeds. 
THE interest attached to the raising of plants from seeds, w-hether of old-established 
favorites or others of a more recent introduction, is well known to all who have 
attempted it; therefore, the following practical directions cannot fail to prove of value to 
amateur cultivators. 
Take boxes from three to five inches deep, filled to within half an inch of their tops 
with a light, sandy soil, sifted fine; sprinkle the seeds on top and cover lightly, according to 
the kind, the coarser the seed, the more soil being required. Then press the soil lightly with 
a Hat piece of wood or a trowel ; water with a sprinkler or with a very fine spray. Place your 
boxes in a light sunny place, covering them with a piece of glass, or if too early in Spring 
place them in the house in front of the window where the sun's rays can reach them. When 
the tiny little plants have as many as four or five leaves, transplant them into larger boxes 
or pots, containing a somewhat richer soil, two inches apart each way. When the weather 
becomes warm and you are prepared to arrange your garden, transplant to places where you 
want them to grow and bloom. These directions refer principally to small seeds, but may 
be followed with all kinds, as they point out the surest way to raise plants from the seeds. 
All hardy Annuals and some Perennials will succeed well if sown in the open air, about 
the end of April or the beginning of May ; in this case one more important point must be 
observed, that of " thinning out " the plants in their earlier stages—for if the young plants 
are allowed to remain in a crowded state they will soon spoil each other, and therefore must 
be thinned out. This should be done cautiously, at first, only enough to give the remainder 
a clear space, and again, when two or three inches high ; the number of plants finally left 
must depend on the size and habit of the species; if large and spreading, single plants are 
best, otherwise two or three may remain an equal distance apart; if small and spreading or 
trailing, two or three more may be left, but they should be six inches apart. 
In transplanting, care must be taken: lift the plants carefully, by the use of a garden 
rowel, retaining as much soil to the root as possible. This should be done in wet or cloud- 
weather, and if the ground is dry, a good soaking with water before and after planting 
advisable. 
