moisture from the soil. In windows the difficulty can be got over by placing 
the pot or box inside a larger one, as shown in Figs. 15 and 16, and filling 
the vacant space between with damp moss, cocoa-nut fibre refuse, or sawdust. 
Then, again, it is most essential to protect delicate seeds from the dry air of 
the atmosphere, even though they be inside a glazed propagator. The general 
and simplest method is to cover each pot or pan with a pane of glass, this ad¬ 
mitting light and conserving moisture. If both these matters are attended 
to directly the seed is sown it will rarely happen that any more water will be 
required until it has germinated. This is a most important point, as, until 
germination takes place, there are no agencies at work to remove superfluous 
moisture, which, if lying in the soil for days will cause stagnation and sour¬ 
ness, thereby rendering it unfit to support the growth of the seedlings. If 
by any chance the surface of the soil in which seed is sown becomes dry, 
immediately immerse the pot or pan nearly to the top of the rim in a 
vessel of tepid water, and leave it thus until the latter has percolated from 
the bottom to the top of the soil. By this means a thorough moistening 
of the soil will be ensured without displacing any of the seeds. Sprinkling 
the surface of the soil in or on which seeds are sown is a bad practice; 
therefore avoid it. The plunging material should be kept continually moist • 
then with artificial heat beneath, a nice genial moist atmosphere will be 
obtained—just what is needed for successful germination. 
Air is of vital importance, but it must not be supplied indiscriminately. In 
the propagator, until the seeds begin to germinate, there is no need to lift the 
glasses from the pots, as sufficient air will creep in between the two; but at 
least once a day—generally about seven to eight a.m.—the sash should be 
tilted a few inches for an hour, to expel foul and admit fresh air to the interior. 
Similarly, seeds under bell-glasses should have air admitted to them, but in 
this case the glass should not be tilted for more than ten minutes. 
Shade from the direct rays of the sun is essential. There need be little 
difficulty about this, because seeds invariably germinate better in darkness than 
in the full light ; indeed, some cultivators go so far as to assert that darkness 
is really necessary. Scientific experiments, however, have long since proved 
that seeds will germinate as well in light as in the dark; but as in the latter 
case there is no danger of the sun unduly drying the soil and injuring them, 
it is wise to protect them from the light until they germinate. The 
necessary darkness and shade combined may be obtained by painting the 
squares of glass with whitening and size, or placing sheets of brown paper over 
Rustic Adornments. 
