202 
Seedlings. Every admirer of this beautiful flower, should 
cultivate seedlings, as they possess all the luxuriance and vig- 
our of youth, and produce larger and finer blossoms than the 
old varieties. Persons desirous of saving seed, should procure 
some seedlings, possessing fine properties, because these afford 
pollen for the purpose of impregnation, which is very seldom 
the case with long established sorts. The perfection of the art 
of raising seedlings, consists in having some of the best show 
flowers in each class, which produce an eye or pericarp: viz. 
dark, white, scarlet, yellow, edged, spatted, &c. and a number 
of the best semidoubles of each corresponding class, which 
produce anthers, as well as pericarps. Then apply the farina 
of any semidoubles that afford it, to the pericarp of the flower 
you have selected as a seed bearer. The most approved me- 
thod of fertilizing, is by gathering the semidoubles, and apply 
the pollen, by lightly pouring it on the pericarp, but if semi- 
doubles are scarce, then the application may be made with a 
large camel’s hair pencil. This operation should be repeated 
for several days, in fine sunny weather. The stems bearing 
seed vessels, should be supported with sticks, and two or three 
bandages of matting, to prevent the stalks from breaking down, 
which would deprive the seed of the necessary nutriment. 
Gather the seed when it turns brown, and keep it loose in a 
drawer, in a dry place. The seed vessels should be preserved 
entire till the time of sowing, when the seeds should be separ- 
ated from the pod, by carefully scraping them off with a knife. 
Sowing. The seed should be sown on a moderately light 
rich loam, in boxes or pots, not less than five inches deep. 
Put some coarse siftings at the bottom of the boxes, and then 
fill up with your compost, which should be broken fine but not 
sifted. Make the surface quite level and press it gently with a 
board, then sow the seeds about an eighth of an inch apart, and 
water with a finely perforated rose water pot, to make them lie 
flatj then sprinkle with fine dry mould, just sufficient to cover 
the seeds which should not be more than the thickness of a 
shilling below the surface. The boxes should be kept regular- 
ly moist by gentle waterings, which will often make the seeds 
bare, when this occurs they must again be lightly covered with 
fine mould. 
The best seasons for sowing are October and February, the 
