126 HARDY PERENNIALS 
deeply dug, but Delphiniums may be made to 
flourish even on a harsh, gravelly, or hungry, sandy 
soil simply by incorporating a liberal quantity of 
rotted manure, leaves or well-decayed garden refuse, 
and by mulching in Summer with loose litter, spent 
hops, or peat litter. If soil is excessively heavy, 
cold, and wet, effort should be made to ameliorate 
it by incorporating sharp sand, lime, and ashes from 
the rubbish fire, and transplanting should be done 
in Spring just as growth commences, or in Summer 
immediately after the principal flowers have passed, 
but never in late Autumn just as the plants are 
going to rest. In fact the Delphinium is one of 
the plants that we would refrain from disturbing 
in Autumn even where soil is ideal, except for the 
purpose of cutting up the stools to single crowns 
for potting in order to increase stock of a particular 
variety, in which case they would be kept in a 
frame or a cold-house through Winter. 
Delphiniums of strongest and freest growth are 
easily raised from seed, and although we can never 
be sure as to colour and form of the seedlings, it 
is tolerably certain if the seed is saved from a 
collection of good varieties that we shall get some 
plants at least that produce good spikes of pleasing 
flowers. Seed may be sown early in the year in 
pans under glass, the seedlings being pricked out 
as soon as characteristic leaves appear, and after 
hardening off the young plants may be put out to per- 
manent quarters during the Summer, and will flower 
