CULTURAL DIRECTIONS (Continued) 
material found under the trees and take 
the next layer of 2 to 3 inches. Rub 
this well through a fine screen to break 
up the coarse vegetable matter in it and 
remove the still coarser material con¬ 
sisting of sticks, pieces of leaves, and 
roots. If the soil is naturally heavy, 
coarse, sharp sand, one-half to one-third 
the bulk, should be mixed with it, but 
if already light and sandy, none need be 
added. Both these mixtures have the ad¬ 
vantage of being free from weed seeds 
and well supplied with humus that holds 
water well. 
After filling with the mixture, wet 
down thoroughly and allow the boxes 
or pots to stand until the next day, when 
they will be in best condition for sow¬ 
ing. The seeds will be thinly scattered 
over the whole surface or sown in rows 
spaced 2 to 3 inches apart, the openings 
for which have been made with a sharp- 
pointed sliver of wood. Very fine seeds, 
such as pansies, petunias, poppies, and 
snapdragons, are best covered by sift¬ 
ing over them a thin layer of soil from a 
sieve. Do not cover too deeply — an 
eighth to a quarter of an inch is suffi¬ 
cient for them. Large seeds require mere* 
covering. After sowing, pack down the 
surface to completely cover. Watering 
requires very careful and frequent at¬ 
tention. Seeds must never be allowed 
to become dry during germination. To 
prevent washing or the soil from run¬ 
ning where seeds are thinly covered, a 
good plan is to spread a thin piece of 
cloth over the hurface and water through 
it. Some seeds, such as sweet peas, are 
best soaked in water before planting. 
Label each lot of seed, and if more than 
one kind is sown in a box, place a label 
at the end of each row. Dust all seeds 
with Semesan as a protection against 
damping off, rots, and molds. 
When seeds are sown out-of-doors, 
prepare the ground well by digging 
deeply, working in a layer of 2 to 3 
inches of Peat Moss or woods-mold and 
a goodly amount of steamed ground 
bone. Open the trenches, space the 
seeds, and cover to a depth of three or 
four times the diameter of the seed. 
When sown early during hot weather, 
in the open ground or in boxes, shading 
with cheese-cloth placed above the plant- 
lets will be necessary. This will also 
afford protection against heavy, beat¬ 
ing rains. 
TRANSPLANTING 
Before transplanting to the open 
ground, plants should be well hardened 
off by exposing them gradually to full 
sunshine. Water well the day before 
lifting them so that not only the soil is 
moist but the plants themselves are well 
filled with water. They should be well 
grown with two or three true leaves. 
Prepare the soil by digging and pul¬ 
verizing well. The addition of Peat Moss 
is advisable. Bonemeal or commercial 
fertilizer should be broadcast over the 
surface of the bed and worked in. If 
commercial fertilizer is used, let the soil 
stand for a week before planting, and 
during that period water two or three 
times if weather is dry. Set out plants 
on a shady day or toward evening, or if 
that is not possible, then shade for two 
or three days or until the plants stand 
up under full sunshine exposure. Do 
not let them suffer for water. 
CULTIVATION 
It will usually be necessary to fer¬ 
tilize once or twice during the growing 
season, using our Agrico fertilizer. 
Wires, strings, or brush should be in 
place early for those needing them, and 
those needing stakes should have them 
in good time. Keep dead or wilted flow¬ 
ers cut off and seed should not be al¬ 
lowed to form. By so doing the plants 
will keep on growing and blooming 
much longer. Cultivate thoroughly, us¬ 
ing hoes often and hose as seldom as 
possible. Keep weeds out. Good flowers 
and weeds seldom grow together. 
I i ; 
ST. PETERSBURG PTG. CO., FLORIDA 
Printed in U. S. A. 
