THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Anar, 3, I860. 
'6 
If; seemed hardly possible that ever he could have too much 
bottom heat, While the means were effectual for maintaining a 
genial top temperature. A burning bottom heat is one of the 
ToCks on which many of our enthusiasts wreck their otherwise- 
h&rcfully-conducted experiments. 
SOWING FLOWER-SEEDS IN HOTBEDS. 
Eor hotbeds requiring a medium temperature of from 60° to 
70°, and managed on the above plan, there would bo little oppor¬ 
tunity of raising seeds outside, except in pots and covered. In 
tho case ot half-hardy annuals, and the hardiest of the tender 
annuals, and the seeds of other things requiring similar treat¬ 
ment, nothing could answer better than such wide beds, fully as 
wide as those alluded to by Mr. Beaton. In their case, beds of 
from twelve to fifteen inches in depth would be quite sufficient. 
Supposing the space was covered with nice light soil, the seeds, 
owing to the genial warmth, would come up much more quickly 
than it sown under glass in the ground, without an)' extra heat; 
and if not coddled and plenty of air given to the plants, they 
would soon be equally hardy and robust. On such a bed I 
have frequently plaeed a two-light box, or some spare handlights 
in the centre. There I have sown the tenderer seeds, with two 
slips of wood nailed together at tho angles to form the spout in 
front of the glass to take off the water; and outside I have sown 
tho hardier kinds, covered with a mat, a piece of calico, &c. At 
other times I have sown only in the bed in the centre, when the 
plants were well up gave plenty of air, then, ere long, removed the 
glass, and used a little protection at night, whilst the rest of the 
bed was used as a pricking-out ground, the plants at first receiving 
a little protection. This mode is very applicable to Stocks and 
Oliina Asters. Whilst on this subject I may mention that some¬ 
thing of a similar plan is the best I have ever tried for securing fine, 
uniform bods and borders of annuals, even of the hardier kinds. 
At one time I did a good deal with them, though comparatively 
little of late years. The soil here being heavy they seldom stood 
the winter well when sown in autumn ; and when sown in spring 
some parts would miss, and, until the plants became large, the 
beds would look a little patchy. The best plan I ever tried with 
them when sowing them out of doors, was to sow in little patches 
and cover each with a four or five-inch tlow'er pot, and placing a 
crock over the hole ut the top, from the pot being reversed, to 
keep the space within darker and warmer. As soon as the 
seedlings could be seen, the crock over the hole was removed ; 
then in a few days the pots were tilted up on the sun side, and 
let down again in cold nights. By tins mode seeds even rather 
tender oan be well managed, if not sown until the middle of 
April or so. Hardier ones may be sown from the beginning to 
the middle of March. But like every other good thing, the plan 
is apt to be abused, and a neglect of tilting the pots, and re¬ 
moving them altogether in time, will make the plants tender and 
more easily injured than if the seeds had been sown exposed in 
the usual way. When there is much of this pot-covering, the 
labour in properly attending to them becomes a serious matter, 
more especially if much ground is to be gone over. This latter 
consideration determined me on raising the seedlings under pro¬ 
tection, and then transplanting them in tufts. If I could spare 
glass, I did not care much about a hotbed. If I had to content 
myself with mats, hurdles, &c., I liked to have a slight hotbed, 
about a foot in depth. In cither case, the additional moist heat 
made the plants come more regularly, and to make them stubby, 
nothing was wanted but plenty of air. With or without a hot¬ 
bed, tho preparations were tho same ; only if the latter were the 
case and a border of soil was to be used, two or three inches of 
the best aired soil on the surface were removed. On that 
border so prepared, or on the top ot the slight hotbed respectively, 
two or tbreo inches of half-rotten leaves were placed. Then 
there were added two or three inches of rotten leaf mould, 
not over fine, and the riddlings from the sojl intended for the 
surface, mixed together and beat level, and then an inch or two 
of fine, light, sifted soil for the surface; on that surface the seeds 
were sown rather thickly in rows, or rather shallow drills, about 
two inches and a half apart. A row six feet in length would be 
sufficient for a moderate-sized bed. As soon as the plants ap¬ 
peared, plenty of air was given; and by the time the piants were 
between two or three inches high, they were in prime order for 
planting out. Before that time the beds were forked over several 
times, so as to be thoroughly aired and pulverised. Having 
in winter or early spring been previously stirred deeply, the 
plants afterwards inserted were sure to flourish in the best order, 
because in wet seasons the moisture freely descended, and in dry 
seasons the roots went freely down, and the moisture rose from 
below in obedience to the pumping power of the sunbeam. With 
all the smaller things, as Goodetias, Clarkias, SpheiiOgyrte!?, 
Saponarias, Nemophilas, &c., the planting out separately is out Of 
the question. Tho great thing is, to place the plants out without 
scarcely feeling their moving; and, therefore, we will describe 
the minutiae. 
In a fine day in April or so, a sieve is taken to the seed-bed, 
the bottom previously covered with .Broccoli leaves, moss, &c. 
The trowel is inserted at the end of tho seed-row, and from the 
previous preparations the seedlings are easily raised in lumps 
i without losing a root. These lumps arc carried on the sieve to 
the well-prepared bed. Small holes at regular distances are made 
J over the bed, close or farther apart according to the nature ot 
I the plants, and a little bit containing three, four, or more plants 
is broken off from these lumps, with scarcely a chance oi losing 
a fibre, the roots hang so dose and firm among the rather coarse 
leaf mould and soil. Some of the fine surface soil of the bed is 
pressed round each separate little bit or rather tuft, and enough 
taken to fill tho hole within an inch or two of tho level. When 
the bed is planted, these are all watered from tho spout of a po(, 
and so as not to spill any on the surface of the bed in tho inter¬ 
vening spaces. When that is settled, in the course of an hour 
or so, then the holes are filled to the level with the dry surface 
soil, the surface is made smooth and neat with the fingers or a 
small rake (I greatly prefer the former for small things), and, in 
the general run of seasons, such beds require no more attention, 
except, perhaps, according to the kinds, a little pegging or keep' 
iDg up with twigs. Eor each of these minutia) I believe there is 
a sat isfactory reason, but I cannot reiterate those reasons at present. 
There is little trouble in the plan, though my description may 
seem tedious. When a fine display from annuals is wanted, 
there is no plan I have tried better for securing symmetrical beds, 
with abundance of early and of long-continued bloom. The 
1 extra preparation that can be given to the beds is one reason, tho 
regular and yet thin planting in tufts is another. The roots 
being uninjured, striko at once into the finely aired soil. I 
have no faith in dibble-planting for such beds. As a sort of rills 
I may mention, that for fine beds of Saponaria Calalricct, the 
little tufts were placed about seven inches apart. I have had 
good beds from sowing seeds of that pretty tiling where the 
plants are to remain, but hardly ever had them so symmetrical, 
blooming so early and continuing so late, as when raised and 
planted out as above described. A blauk or two, or one part of 
a bed lower or higher than it ought to be, mars the effect, and this 
is most likely to happen when the seeds are sown in the bed. 
Will our lady friends, such as “ L. E. C.,” and “ Rose,” and 
others, give the plan but a limited trial this season, and give us 
a faithful report of their success or failure ? 
TOO MUCH HEAT FOR SEEDS AND SEEDLINGS. 
Once more at present as to giving too much heat to seeds. I am 
sure my friend Mr. Beaton will forgive me for even a seeming 
intrusion into his grounds, as none are better aware than he, 
that simple truths want frequent hammering to drive them home. 
So far as the Perilla Nankinensis is concerned, it has always 
come up with me when I gave it a heat of 70°, and so it does at 
a temperature of 50°. 1 believe that failures in seed-raising 
among amateurs are chiefly referable to two causes—giving 
them a strong bottom heat of 85° to 100°, and covering them too 
deep, and if the seed is at all old, watering too soon. Even in 
the case of Cucumbers and Melons, I have plunged pots in a 
warm hotbed, not one of which grew ; seeds from the same 
packet, but the pot standing on the surface, produced healthy 
plants. Some seeds that will stand a great amount of heat will 
come up quicker when it is given; but they would come up 
safely, though later, in a lower temperature. If attention is paid 
to Mr. Beaton’s remarks on this subject, there would be fewer 
failures. Vegetating seeds and seedlings do not require the same 
high temperature as the plant needs to bring its product to per¬ 
fection. From 50° to 60° would bo a safe medium for a great 
proportion of seeds to which I frequently give extra heat. Eor 
instance: To grow a fine specimen of some of these long Cucum • 
bers, will require an atmospheric temperature of from 65° to 70°, 
with a good rise from sunshine, and a bottom temperature, if 
procurable, from 75° to 80°. But young seedlings would be far 
more robust and less likely to be affected with insects if tho heat 
were seldom above 60°, except in sunshine. In March and April 
I have often seen Cucumbers and Melon plants growing among 
Potatoes, under frames, more healthy and robust than those in 
