600 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 18, 1895. 
HINTS FOR AMATEURS. 
Treatment of Seedlings. 
Seed sowing is usually admitted to be an operation 
which requires a great deal of care to be exercised 
in its performance. It is a notorious fact that far 
too many professional gardeners are much too 
clumsy in this matter, and where they fail, v-ith all 
the practice in the art that usually falls to their lot, 
it is scarcely to be expected that the amateur in his 
necessarily restricted sphere should succeed. The 
importance of not sowing the seed too thickly 
cannot be over estimated, for if anything like a fair 
percentage of it is good much undue crowding of 
the plants must result. Now no one who has had 
even a slight experience of seed sowing needs to be 
told that it is foolishness to sprinkle half-an-ounce 
of seed where a pinch would be amply sufficient. 
Of course we are aware that this may be to the seeds¬ 
man's advantage, and seedsmen, like other people, 
must live, but it is distinctly bad gardening never¬ 
theless. Next in magnitude to the evils resulting 
from too thick sowing come those that are the 
result of burying the seed too deeply beneath the 
surface of the soil. Many of the failures that are 
set down to the credit, or rather discredit, of the 
nurseryman for supplying bad seed are simply the 
result of want of attention to this point on the part 
of the sower himself. 
Now supposing the sowing of the seed to have 
been carefully performed, and a goodly percentage 
of it to have germinated, then comes the question of 
how to treat these seedlings, and what method to 
adopt so that we may obtain nice stocky plants fit 
for anyone to look at. As seedlings are gifted with 
a notoriously delicate constitution, it is very 
necessary that they should have all possible care 
taken with them in order that they may not sustain 
a check in their earlier stages when if could not fail 
to be fraught with serious consequences to the health 
of the plant. The first point is to notice that the 
plants are not left too long in the seed pans ; for 
this muct inevitably result in damage to them, more 
particularly if the seed has been sown too thickly in 
the first place. When left so long they not only 
become drawn and spindly from want of the room 
necessary to proper development, but it is a matter 
of great difficulty to separate them from each other 
without depriving them of the small fibrous roots 
which are so necessary to their health and well¬ 
being. This, which is technically known to gardeners 
as “ stripping,” is of itself responsible for a large 
proportion of the deaths among seedlings, and is, as 
we have noted, either caused by the leaving of the 
plants too long in their seed pans or is perhaps due 
to the clumsiness or carelessness of unskilful work¬ 
men. To prevent “ stripping,” or in other words to 
preserve the delicate fibres of the roots intact, very 
careful handling will be necessary during the process 
of separation. 
Next in importance perhaps comes the proper 
inserting of the seedling in the soil. ” Hanging ” is 
often accountable for the deaths of a large number of 
seedlings. This is another technicality common 
amongst members of the gardening fraternity and is 
certainly not an inappropriate phrase. If sufficient 
care is not taken to work the soil around the roots of 
the young plants the delicate fibrils not being in 
sufficiently close contact with the soil shrivel up and 
perish. It is necessary therefore, when dibbling the 
seedlings out, to see that the boles are not made too 
deep, and that the roots of the plants reach quite to 
the bottom. A good watering from a Rose can to 
settle the soil well about the roots is also of impor¬ 
tance. 
Soils.— Seedlings do not require a rich soil to 
grow in at first, although this must not be taken to 
mean that any rough stuff will do. On the contrary 
it is very essential that a great deal of care should be 
employed in the preparation of the compost to be 
used for pricking off young seedlings. A case that 
once came before my notice will serve to illustrate 
this. A bin in a potting shed which had for some 
time contained salt, had been as the gardener thought 
cleaned thoroughly out, and a lot of soil that had been 
prepared for seedlings had been placed in it. The 
floor and walls of the bin were, however, so 
strongly impregnated with salt that the soil, unknown 
to the gardener, absorbed a sufficient quantity to kill 
off wholesale the seedlings that were pricked off in it, 
and it was not until he set his wits to work to 
discover the cause of this mortality among his plants 
that the true state of affairs was discovered. Other 
soil was tried and this time the best of results were 
obtained. Needless to say, that gardener never 
again made the mistake of using soil for seedlings 
that had been in such close proximity to salt as the 
former had been. 
A compost of loam and leaf soil with a liberal 
addition of sharp sand will answer the requirements 
of most subjects, although more or less leaf soil 
may be added according to the ideas of the gardener. 
The sand is a very necessary ingredient, for its use 
renders the compost much more friable than would 
be the case were it not present. Moreover, as soon 
as it becomes necessary to shift the plants into more 
commodious quarters, either to the flower garden or 
into pots in the greenhouse, the use of plenty of 
sand admits of their much easier separation. 
Subsequent Treatment. —After the plants have 
been pricked off and watered in, it is true that half 
the battle is over, although for a little while, 
immediately after their shift, a watchful eye must be 
kept upon them. Shade will, as a matter of course, 
be required during sunny days. This, however, 
should not be heavy enough to shut out the light 
entirely from them, or harm will be done that way. 
If procurable, a piece of tiffany is the best shading 
material, as this admits plenty of light whilst inter¬ 
cepting the direct rays of the sun. The frame or 
pit in which the plants are placed must also be kept 
rather close for a few days until they have got 
somewhat established, when air must be gradually 
admitted. Above all, in dealing with seedlings of 
half hardy annuals or perennials, whether intended 
for the decoration of the flower garden or the 
furnishing of the greenhouse, the amateur must 
remember that it is a great mistake to coddle the 
plants. How often do we see weak puny specimens 
that betray a long sojourn in close hot-houses, when 
by the adoption of more rational treatment far 
better results would have been obtained with 
perhaps less trouble.— Rex. 
THE WILD*’ FLOWERS 
OF SPRING. 
In a recent ‘‘popular explanation” given at the 
Brighton Museum, Mr. B. Lomax selected as his 
subject spring wild flowers, of which a large number 
were exhibited in the armour room. He first called 
attention to the fact that the colour of the flowers 
was either blue, white, or pale yellow, and that there 
were no red or orange-yellow blooms as yet. These 
did not come, he said, until the summer. Blue, 
white, and pale yellow were the colours of cold 
climates, and might be found in Arctic regions ; but 
our autumn flowers were a reflected glow from the 
tropics, where crimson, scarlet, and orange were the 
rule. To some extent this choice of colour was a 
necessity. The colour of a flower was caused by the 
rays it rejected. Red and orange were the heat 
producing rays, and the flowers of cold climates and 
cold seasons could not afford to reject them. Thus 
the flowers of onr chilly spring swallowed up the 
heat-gfving reds, and rejected the cold blue. Again, 
it would be seen that a large percentage of the 
flowers before them were members of those closely 
allied families which produce the Lily, the Snow¬ 
drop, and the Orchis. These families were, in a 
way, foreigners, never growing to any size except in 
the tropical or sub-tropical regions of the earth, and 
it seemed at first strange that they should form the 
staple of our spring flowers. But the key to the 
mystery was found in their adaptability to the sur¬ 
roundings. Spring with us was a very uncertain 
season. Dry ground often became suddenly flooded ; 
cold winds nipped off young buds, or blighted newly 
expanded leaves; but such plants as the Daffodil 
and Bluebell could afford to lose a single venture. 
Their under ground bulb, in which they had thriftily 
stored up the savings of last year, enabled them to 
renew the struggle for life, while the long succulent 
leaves of some of them absorbed surplus water which 
might otherwise chill their roots. 
The "pale Primroses, that die before they’re wed ” 
belonged, Mr. Lomax said, to that thoroughly 
English section of plants which contained our forest 
trees and our most characteristic wild flowers, but it 
managed to hold its own successfully with the 
foreigners. To meet the exigencies of the inclement 
season in which it appeared, it had relinquished the 
tall stem and leafy branches to which its botanical 
rank entitled it, and, condensing the whole into a 
stumpy rootstock, sent out underground stalks, 
forming a perfect colony of sturdy Primroses, not to 
be eradicated by “ all the airts the wind can blow.” 
With regard to the exceeding beauty of the wild 
flowers, the lecturer pointed out that mere beauty, 
though always attained, was never the only object 
aimed at. In the floral, as in the animal world, 
every tint, every marking, was of distinct use to its 
possessor, unless, as frequently happened, it was a 
certificate of relationship to some other species. 
But the motive was different iD the two great 
kingdoms. The colours and markings of an animal 
were to aid in concealment, whether for the purpose 
of evading his enemy or of ensnaring his prey ; but 
those of a flower were to attract the attention of 
animals who might be useful to them. The spread¬ 
ing brilliant flower of the Primroses attracted the 
bee, and led him to seek the hidden honey of the 
flower and so unconsciously do the plant s errand, 
by carrying its pollen to distant blossoms. The 
bright red berries of the Hawthorn and Briony 
caught the eye of the passing bird, who stopped to 
eat them and carried their seeds to other parts of 
the country. The pretty flower cups beautified the 
landscape ; the tradesmen’s advertising boards dis¬ 
figured it; but both were displayed for the same 
purpose. 
- 
RANUNCULUS GRANDIFOLIUS. 
Some gardeners might take exception to the cultiva¬ 
tion of Buttercups, but the variety of species is very 
great and some are really choice and beautiful. The 
species under Dotice is by no means so common as 
it ought to be although orginally introduced from 
Teneriffe in 1826. It is better known in gardens, 
perhaps, under the name of R. cortusaefolius, and 
though both names are fairly appropriate, R.grandi- 
folius is the more so, and refers to the great size of 
the leaves compared to those European species with 
which we are more familiar. The name must not be 
confused with R. macrophyllus, another large-leaved 
species introduced from the same place in 1658, but 
apparently lost to cultivation or lost sight of in some 
neglected old garden. The stem of the plant under 
notice attains a height of 3 ft. to 4 ft. or more under 
good cultural treatment, and branches upwards 
bearing numerous large, golden yellow flowers. The 
leaves are very large, rich green, roundly heart- 
shaped and shallowy lobed. It is described as a 
hardy, tuberous rooted species, but we are afraid it 
requires a greenhouse temperature in winter to 
enable it to pass through that trying period in our 
uncertain and occasionally severe climate. In any 
case if grown in pots and so protected it will give 
much more satisfaction, and prove an attractive and 
distinct looking subject for the conservatory during 
May as a rule; but that would to some extent 
depend upon the temperature of the house in which 
it is kept. The plant was again exhibited at the 
Drill Hall on Tuesday, this time from the Royal 
Gardens, Kew. 
- t — 
MELONS AND CUCUMBERS.* 
(Concluded from page 587 ) 
The cultivator must keep an eye to the temperature 
of the Melon beds for they will no doubt require 
some warm linings. I like to give fresb linings after 
the setting period; if given before it will cause far 
too moist an atmosphere and then some difficulty 
may be experienced in setting the fruits. After 
adding these linings see that the little roots are kept 
covered but not too deeply with the warm soil, and 
give them a gentle watering with warm liquid 
manure which may afterwards be applied twice a 
week until the fruits show signs of ripening. The 
general routine of airing must be carried out with 
care and promptitude. Always watch the weather 
and when uncovering in the morning if the weather 
be favourable give just a chink of air, and should the 
weather prove unfavourable an hour after close them 
again. Some may think it needless fussiness to give 
air and close again in the morning, but it is my 
opinion that after being shut up all night a change 
of air is beneficial to all fruit growing under glass. 
Supposing everything to be favourable do not give 
air at random, but by degrees until the maximum is 
reached, and as the season advances closing time 
will be later but don’t overdo it and lose the sun’s 
influence. Always damp the walls and plants well 
*A paper read at the January meeting of the Devon and 
Exeter Gardeners' Improvement Association by Mr. Edwards, 
gardener to James Hare, Esq., Honeylands, Whipton near 
Exeter. 
