Raising Annuals in Greenhouse or Frame 
Soil for seed sowing should be fairly rich, 
finely pulverised by passing through a small 
mesh sieve, and moderately dry. A mixture 
of light loam, well-decayed leaf-mould, and sharp 
sand in about equal parts will be quite suitable. 
A slight addition of old manure, freed of worms 
and other insect life by heating in an oven or 
under the stoke-hole fire, may be also employed. 
It is, however, not essential. All receptacles 
should be made ready in advance, the soil 
pressed moderately firm in process of making 
up, and well saturated with water twenty-four 
hours in advance of being required for use. This 
is important. The covering soil for all seeds 
should be of the finest description, varying in 
thickness of one-eighth of an inch for the finer 
seeds to one quarter of an inch for those of 
larger size. Seeds of certain plants, e.g. the 
Chinese Primulas, though moderately large, are 
impatient of much soil covering, a point worth 
remembering. Begonia and Calceolaria among 
the finer seeds may be sown practically on the 
surface, a shilling-thick covering of clean well- 
washed silver sand sufficing for the purpose. 
II 
To prevent loss and to avoid an irregular 
vegetation of the crop all seeds should be sown 
on a moderately firm and quite even surface. 
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