11 
which they are to absorb the required 
moisture, and the pressing of the soil over 
the seeds so firmly with the feet or the 
back of the hoe that the degree of moisture 
may remain as nearly as possible the same 
until the plants are np. 
Second —A proper degree of heat, secured 
by sowing each variety of seed when the 
average temperature of the locality is that 
most favorable for its germination. This 
may be learned from a careful study of the 
following pages and the experience of the 
most successful gardeners of your vicinity. 
Third —Covering the seed to such a depth 
that while it is preserved at a uniform de¬ 
gree of heat and moisture, the necessary 
air can readily reach it, and the tiny stem 
push the forming leaves into the light and 
air. This depth will vary with different 
seeds and conditions of the soil, and can 
be learned only from practical experience. 
In general, seeds of the size of the Turnip 
should be covered with half an inch of 
earth pressed down, while Corn may be an 
inch, Beans two or three, and Peas two to 
six inches deep. 
Fourth —Such condition of soil that the 
ascending stem can easily penetrate it, and 
the young roots speedily find suitable food. 
We can usually secure this by thorough 
preparation of the ground, and take care 
never to sow fine seeds when the ground is 
wet. Occasionally a heavy or long con¬ 
tinued rain followed by a bright sun will so 
bake and crust the surface that it is im¬ 
possible for the young plant to find its way 
through it, or a few days of strong wind 
will so dry the surface that no seed can 
germinate. In such cases our only remedy 
is to try again. 
Sowing Flower Seeds. —Nanz & Fen¬ 
ner .—The general rule for sowing flower- 
seeds, as well as any other kind, is to sow 
them at a proper depth, and the depth at 
which they are sown should, in every in¬ 
stance, be governed by the seed itself. As 
the sprouts of the small seeds are naturally 
small, if sown as deep as large seeds, they 
will be unusually long in starting, or, more 
likely, perish in the ground after sprouting 
for want of strength in the young sprouts 
to force a passage through the soil. Very 
small seeds, such as Portulaca, Lobelia, etc., 
should be merely sprinkled on the surface 
of the ground, after making it quite smooth, 
and barely covered with fine-sifted, light, 
mellow soil, and afterward protected from 
the scorching sun and heavy rains by a 
cloth, mat or some green branches around 
it. It is to facilitate the germination of 
fine seeds that hot-beds or cold frames are 
useful. By being protected at the sides 
and ends with boards and covered with 
glass, they confine the moisture which 
arises from the earth, subject to changes 
of temperature, as a uniform state can be 
maintained, no matter what the weather 
may be. Care, however, is required to 
prevent scorching the young plants. In 
bright days, the heat is intense inside the 
frames, and unless air is freely given, or 
some course taken to obstruct the rays of 
the sun, most likely a great portion of the 
plants will be ruined. When the sun gets 
pretty warm, give the glass a thin coat of 
whitewash. This gives a little shade, and 
with some air during the middle of bright 
days will make all safe. 
Tuberoses. — Wm. Iiennie .—The Tuberose 
is one of the most delightfully fragrant and 
beautiful of summer-flowering bulbs, 
throwing up spikes of double white flowers, 
two or three feet high, which remain in 
bloom a long period. The bulbs may be 
planted from February to May. When 
they are needed very early, they may be 
planted in the greenhouse or hotbed in 
February or March, and for a succession of 
flowers, in April and May. In planting re¬ 
move the useless small offsets around the 
main root, and place a single tuber in a 
pot four or five inches wide. Use good 
loam and leaf-mould, with* good drainage.. 
Start them slowly upon a temperate heat,, 
in the hotbed or forcingpit, or later in the 
season in a frame. Water slightly at first, 
and when the bulbs begin to grow in¬ 
crease the quantity. Those started early 
should be supplied with a good bottom 
heat till May, when they may be shifted 
into pots six or seven inches wide. By the 
first of June, all may be plunged out in a 
warm border, staking, each plant to pre¬ 
vent their being broken by the wind. On 
the approach ot cool weather in September, 
those remaining in bloom should be remov-. 
