Seeds Are Mighty Things ♦ Great Oaks from Little Acorns Grow 
Alphabetical List of Flower Seeds 
Valuable Cultural Hints 
RAISING PLANTS FROM SEED 
When sowing seeds in pots, pans, or trays, use a compost of sweet 
top soil, sand, and humus, or clean leaf-mold. Some growers sub¬ 
stitute peat-moss for the humus, but I prefer the latter. No manure 
of any kind is required, and the mechanical condition should be such 
that if a handful is squeezed together, when just pleasantly moist, it 
falls apart readily upon the hand being opened. If the particles 
cling tenaciously together, it requires the addition of more humus 
and sand. The soil should be passed through a sieve having a half¬ 
inch mesh. Fill the pots or flats to within half an inch of the top with 
this compost and press it moderately and uniformly firm, making 
the surface perfectly level. For very fine seeds, a surfacing layer of 
the same soil passed through a quarter-inch sieve will be required. 
Now water with a fine spray so that the whole body of soil is saturated. 
It will be found an excellent preventative of damping off and other 
fungoid troubles if Semesan is used (normal strength) for this purpose. 
Allow to drain for an hour or so and then sow the seed. Sow thinly 
and barely cover with soil shaken through a piece of wire screening. 
Large seeds, as Lupins and Sweet Peas, should be covered to a depth 
of 1 inch, and minute seeds, as Lobelia, Begonias, etc., will not 
require covering. Place a piece of glass and a sheet of brown paper 
over each pot or flat and keep in a temperature of 60 degrees. Examine 
each morning, and as soon as germination is evident, remove the 
coverings and gradually expose the plants to full light. Water with 
care, never allowing the plants to suffer either for want of water or 
by being water-logged. When water is required, stand the seed-pot 
in a pail and allow the moisture to rise from below. 
When preparing a seed-bed in a frame, the soil shculd possess the 
qualities already described. Sand and humus may be freely used. 
The surface must be raked fine and level and the seed sown either | 
broadcast or in shallow drills, 3 to 4 inches apart. Cover the seed | 
to its own depth, or slightly more, for summer sowings. Press lightly | 
with a flat piece of board and water well with a very fine spray. 
Keep the sash and shading material on until the shoots can be just 
discerned breaking through the surface, then remove the shading 
and admit ventilation on all favorable occasions. The ground where 
seed is to be sown in the open should be brought to a state of pulveri¬ 
zation and the surface raked fine. So far as possible, sow either 
immediately before or after rains, so that the seed is insured sufficient 
moisture for germination and early growth. Annuals may be sown 
where they are to flower, the young plants afterward being vigorously 
thinned out. Perennials are best sown in rows and later transplanted. 
Seedlings sown in pots and frames will require transplanting when 
the second pair of leaves develop. For many things, flats 3 to 4 
inches deep are suitable, using a compost similar to that advised for 
seed-sowing but in a little coarser state, or they may be transplanted 
to beds in frames. Allow 2 inches each way for this first move. 
Perennials and biennial seedlings will be transplanted into frames 
or in rows in the open ground allowing ample space for development. 
Hardy annuals may be sown when the trees are bursting into leaf, 
and in some cases in the fall. Half-hardy annuals may be sown so 
that sizable plants are available for planting out when danger of 
frost has passed, and later for succession. Hardy biennials are best 
sown in June or July and hardy perennials from June to September. 
Greenhouse plants are sown at various times according to require¬ 
ments, and in this connection it may be mentioned that many hardy 
annuals make excellent greenhouse plants if sown in September or 
in early spring. When seeds fail to germinate, my experience is that 
the fault is invariably with the person responsible for the sowing 
and after-care. No reputable seed-house disseminates untested seed. 
The most frequent causes of failure are too deep sowing and permit¬ 
ting the soil to become excessively dry or the reverse while germina¬ 
tion is taking place. Either of these conditions is fatal to success. 
T. H. Everett, F.R.H.S., N.D.H., 
Late of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, England 
The following abbreviations are used throughout the Flower Seed Department: 
HA., Hardy Annuals 
HHA., Half-Hardy Annuals 
TA., Tender Annuals 
HP., Hardy Perennials 
HHP., Half-Hardy Perennials 
HB. , Hardy Biennials 
HHB., Half-Hardy Biennials 
HC. , Hardy Climbers 
Selected Strains. Only the highest types in each class 
GP., Greenhouse Plants 
GS., Greenhouse Shrubs 
GB., Greenhouse Bulbs 
ALPHABETICAL LIST OF FLOWER SEEDS 
7 
WILLIAM M. HUNT & CO., Inc., NEW YORK 
