146 
THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 
pagatino; will be no longer a perplexity and a worry, but one of the 
most delightful amusements. 
In sowing seeds select the compost in which it is recommended 
the plants should be grown, and add about a fourth part of its bulk 
of sand to it. Shallow pans are useful things for seeds, but wooden 
boxes answer equally well. The depth seeds are sown is regulated 
by their sizes : those as large as a pea may be fully one inch deeji, 
and those of smaller size in proportion. It is of the utmost impor- 
tance, however, for the amateur to bear in mind that small seeds of 
all kinds should be covered with the merest dusting of soil, for 
many are lost through being sown too deep. It is good practice to 
lay a square of glass over a seed pan when the seed is sown, to pre- 
vent evaporation, because, if the soil is sufficiently moist when the 
sowing takes place, it will continue so until the seeds germinate if 
covered with glass, and thus the necessity of watering will be 
obviated. If you cannot cover the pans with glass, sprinkle a little 
clean moss over, or lay a sheet of paper over, and be sure to remove 
the moss or paper as soon as the sprouting of the seed is visible. 
When the little plants have grown sufficiently large to bear separa^ 
tion they must be potted two or three together, or separately in 
small pots, or they may be pricked out into boxes, with a view to a 
separate potting at the next stage. 
By far the largest proportion of greenhouse plants are raised- 
from cuttings, and in the case of soft-wooded plants, the process is 
so simple, sure, and speedy, that there need be but little said about it. 
As a rule it is a difficult matter to strike cuttings of hard-wooded 
plants, but the compensation for the diflBculty is found in the fact 
that no one is in want of large quantities of such plants, and as 
well-made young heaths and such like can be purchased at a very 
low price, the propagating business need not stand in the way of 
the formation and good keeping of a pretty collection. The 
amateur must begin practice with plants of soft texture, such as 
fuchsias, pelargoniums, and veronicas. Any of the young shoots of 
these may be made into cuttings at any time of the year. Pre- 
ference should be given to shoots that are somewhat firm, but still 
in a growing state. In the case of fuchsias, they may be broken off 
at the joint by a slight pressure of the thumb, the shoot having its 
own “ heel,” and its removal causing a slight scar on the parent 
stem. If you cannot do this dexterously cut the shoots with a 
sharp knife, and in every case let the cuttings be from two to four 
inches long, and remove from them a few of the lowest leaves, so as 
to secure a sufiBcient length of clear stem to insert them firmlv in 
the soil. The more leaves a cutting can carry and keep the better,"but 
there must be no leaves buried in the soil, and any leaves that “flag ” 
or droop from exhaustion, will do more harm than good. Cuttings 
are usually put in saud first, and as soon as they begin to form roots 
are taken out and potted in light compost. This is not always 
necessary, especially in summer time, when quick-rooting cuttings 
may be put singly in small pots in proper compost, aiid will at once 
make plants and occasion very little trouble. It may always be 
known when cuttings are throwing out roots, as their tops become 
