18 
H. G. Hastings Co., Seedsmen, Atlanta, Georgia 
DIRECTIONS FOR PLANTING 
FLOWER SEEDS AND BULBS 
HASTINGS’ FLOWER SEEDS have no superiors and 
few equals. We use just as much care in the produc¬ 
tion of the finest strains of flower seed as we do in vege¬ 
table seeds. We do this because it pays us. Our busi¬ 
ness experience has shown us that our best advertise¬ 
ment is a satisfied customer, and our special high grade 
strains of seed are bound to make everyone who plants 
them satisfied. The increase of our sales of flower seed 
in the past nine years has been enormous. Our custom¬ 
ers find that the quality of our seed and the size and 
brilliancy of the bloom from our special strains of flow¬ 
er seeds'surpass anything they have ever had. Very lit¬ 
tle flower seed is grown in the United States, and we im¬ 
port most of ours direct from the largest and best flow¬ 
er seed growers of Germany and France, where great 
attention is paid to the production of the finest strains 
of flowers. We spare no trouble or expense to get the 
very best for our customers—the finest varieties of all 
flowers adapted to planting in the South. Our list of 
flower seed is small compared with that of many North¬ 
ern seedsmen. The reason for this is that there are 
comparatively few flowers grown from seed that do well 
in the South, and our list contains nothing but what is 
adapted to the South. You may depend upon the fact 
that you can plant any variety in this list with the as¬ 
surance that with proper treatment and favorable sea¬ 
sons you will succeed. 
Our packets of flower seeds are larger than those of 
other seedsmen. There are enough seeds in Hastings’ 
packets to give plenty of plants of each kind. We have 
no 1, 2 or 3-cent packets such as are offered occasionally. 
Our packets contain good seed and plenty of it. We 
do not put in 6 or 7 sweet peas, or 12 or 15 poppy seed, 
as fine as dust, and call it a packet. Our business is 
not conducted on that basis. We charge you a reason¬ 
able price, just what the goods are worth, and give 
you value received for every cent you send us, and then 
if you are not pleased w T e will gladly refund the price of 
the seeds. Can you ask more? 
Flower seed is now one of the strong features of our 
business, and we lead in that just as we do in vege¬ 
table seed. Hastings’ Seeds of all varieties are Suc¬ 
cessful Seeds. 
HOW TO SOW FLOWER SEEDS 
With few exceptions flower seeds are very small, and 
sowing them by the inexperienced often results in fail¬ 
ure, either partial or complete, because a few simple 
rules are not followed. There is nothing mysterious 
about success with flowers. It requires care and a lit¬ 
tle common sense. With these failure is almost impos¬ 
sible. It is work that can not be left to a negro farm 
hand or laborer. It must receive your careful personal 
attention. By observing closely the following rules for 
sowing flower seed you will have little cause for coui- 
laint or failure. 
THE SOIL. A mellow loam, which is a medium earth 
between the extremes of clay and sand, enriched by a 
compost of rotten manure and leaf mold, is adapted to 
the generality of flowering plants. Pulverized sheep ma¬ 
nure is probably the richest and most concentrated of 
all stock manures and comes in dry form that is very 
easily handled. For fertilizing flower beds, lawns, gar¬ 
dens, porch boxes and flower pots, we know no equal. 
See page 28. All fertilizer's and manure should be work¬ 
ed into the soil and not placed in one spot, where the 
plant is to stand. In shady and partly shaded spaces 
a top dressing of lime will generally aid materially in 
neutralizing the acid in the soil, making plant food niote 
available. Previous to planting flower beds or borders 
care must be taken that they are so arranged that the 
ground is a little elevated in the middle, allowing the 
water to run off, thus showing off the plants to better 
advantage. 
PLANTING THE SEED. Make the surface as fine and 
smooth as possible. Cover each sort of seed to a depth 
proportionate to its size; seed like portulaca, petunias, 
etc., should be merely sprinkled on. the surface of the 
ground, and barely covered with finely sifted, light mel¬ 
low soil; press the soil down firmly over the seed with a 
brick or a short piece of board. For larger seed the 
depth should be regulated according to the size of the 
seed, those the size of a pin head % inch deep, and those 
the size of a pea % of an inch or more. Procure a bit of 
lath (it would be better if planed smooth) about 2 feet 
long, press the edge down into the soil evenly, so as to 
make a groove as deep as the seed is to be planted, scat¬ 
ter the seed along this, allowing 4 or 5 of the larger to 
15 or 20 of the smaller seeds to the space one plant is to 
occupy when grown. Cover the seed by pressing the 
earth firmly, then turn your lath flatwise and press the 
soil down firmly. On light, sandy soils flower seed 
should be covered twice the depth that they should be 
in stiff or heavy clay soils. 
SOWING IN HOXES. Almost all flowers will stand 
transplanting. Many of them grow better for having 
been transplanted. In sections liable to late spring 
frosts or where drouth comes in spring, it is advisable 
to sow seed in shallow boxes which can be placed in a 
warm, sunny window or on a porch. This is always ad¬ 
visable with the expensive seed, and those of a tropical 
nature, such as coleus, salvia, etc. These need a warm 
soil to start the seed. Sow the same as in open ground, 
and keep the soil moist, but not soaking wet. If surface 
of soil shows tendency to cake or crust, scratch it light¬ 
ly to break the crust. Small seeds can not force their 
way through a crusted surface. As soon as the plants 
reach a height of 2 or 3 inches they may be transplanted 
to open ground, taking as much earth from the box as 
possible with each plant, so as not to disturb the roots 
more than necessary. 
