34 
<&&* ii lOL3iLes , floral uuiDi 3^iotorml Koine i^am|itMiian. 
in cultivating, 
dow, and the m'anner in which 
Jjfonjl dtmtyiltititMts* 
THE CULTIVATION OP PLANTS PROM 
THE HOT BED. 
In this I do not design to treat each and every 
variety that would come under this head, hut of those 
only with which I have had several years’ experience 
both in the open air and in the win- 
I have succeeded in 
collecting a sufficient number and variety that would 
stock a small greenhouse. 
For the minutia of this I refer the readers to Wil¬ 
liams’s Window Gardening or Henderson’s Practical 
Floriculture, or for those who cannot afford these, and 
belong to that oft mentioned class referred to by Mr. 
Vick, “those of much taste and little money,” let 
them get the Home Florist, or Vick’s Flower and 
Vegetable Garden ; and let me here say, that one who 
attempts to grow flowers will save their price two¬ 
fold by having something of the kind for reference, 
as time of planting, pruning, potting, watering, soil, 
and fertilizers, etc., are systematically treated. 
All can plant seeds, but can you make them grow ? 
A man may lead his steed to water, but can he 
make him drink ? Yet the tiniest one has the germ of 
life that it is in your power to kill, if not to develop ; 
but provide it with the proper means, and in time it 
will bud and bloom. 
It is understood that almost any one in these days 
knows how to conduct a hotbed, if not, almost any 
florist’s catalogue will give directions, and in J. B. 
Root’s Garden Manual are plans for hotbeds with fire 
heat. 
I advise them to construct the bed as if for glass, 
plant the seed in soil, that should be a fine sandy 
loam. Sow in little drills, cover the small seeds with 
very little earth. It is recommended for such to sift on 
the slight covering, but it would always bake for me, 
so I have succeeded best by making a little drill with 
a small sharp stick, and then put back carefully on 
the seed the soil that formed the ridge ; the larger the 
seed, the deeper the drill. When sown, label each 
row with a small piece of board with the name, which, 
if written on with a lead pencil if the board is dipped 
in water, the dampness from the earth will not 
efface. 
Guard against putting in the seed too thick, for, 
unless the plants are thinned out they will damp off 
or be poor weak things, before they are old enough to 
transplant, and in very choice varieties this is an ob¬ 
ject to be considered. When all are planted, I take 
my clothes sprinkler, (cost twenty-five cents), as it is 
so much finer than the nose of a water-can, and 
dampen the soil; be careful, not too much, or the seed 
will rot; then lay on newspapers, putting on a little 
soil or stones to keep them down until the plants are 
up; then on mild days keep no cover on at all, unless 
it be the open lath cover; cover at night with boards, 
if cold, put the papers on top; if freezing, your mats 
or old carpets, or anything to keep out the cold. I 
prepare this bed the last of March or first of April, 
and we had ice here in Central Ohio, three-fourths of 
an inch thick, and snow six inches deep, when my 
plants were over an inch high, and when uncovered, 
they came out holding up their tiny heads to greet 
the sun, when I let him just peep in. 
After being covered for several days, remove a little 
at a time and I think plants grow much faster, with 
this slight bottom heat, than in the open air, and are 
still far better prepared to stand the shock of trans¬ 
planting, than if raised in a hotbed, with glass, and 
1 have tried all three plans, for they will be strong, 
stocky plants, and not have the weak-kneed habits of 
the Phlox Drummondi some lady mentions. 
Of my choice and untried varieties, I keep a kind of 
register until I know the plants, and note the time of 
planting, blooming, height, color, etc., so 1 can thus! 
select such from my seed beds that I wish for a 
definite purpose, without auy trouble. Those I want 
for window plauts I pot off, as soon as they have three 
or four leaves, in two-inch pots, for the “ Thumbpots” 
so many use, dry out too soon for me, as an hour’s de¬ 
lay has killed many, so I take a larger one with better 
success; I sink these in the ground; remember, do 
not let them dry out. When filled with roots, repot 
and continue to do so, always leaving the ball of earth 
unbroken; put them each time in a pot just a size 
large. 
Use soil of well-decayed sod one-founh, leaf mould 
and sand one-fourth, good garden soil one-fourth, and 
well-decayed manure one-fourth. This should be 
well mixed, and if you saved the weeds and cleanings 
from your garden walks and beds, they will be well 
rotted; add some of this and it makes an excellent 
addition, or the bottom of the spring hotbed can be 
used to a good advantage in making up the potting 
soil. 
Transplant all annuals with due regard to light, 
colors, etc., and contrast it with some promiscuous 
planting and note the difference. 
I can tell you of a lawn that was made entire, and 
much of the soil was hauled to produce the desired 
grade, and the whole cost, outside that done by the 
owner, for labor, seed and plants, did not exceed $10, 
which received the credit of costing from three to five 
hundred dollars ; of course, this does not include the 
walks and drives, just the grass plat and beds, and 
contain about one acre, with the building near the 
centre. Here were gronps of Cannas, Zea Japonica, 
Cypress in a pyramid of six feet in circumference and 
nine feet high, a perfect mass of green, with its wealth 
of rose, scarlet, and white stars. Calladiums, whose 
leaves measured five and a half by three and a half 
feet, and whose bulb was as large as a medium-sized 
cabbage head when dried off. The Calla Richardia, 
with its spotted leaves. Roses, with nearly all the 
hardy bulbs and shrubs, with evergreens from one 
foot to thirty feet high. 
Here the annuals vie with each other, and their 
finely mingled colorings, painted by that unseen Hand, 
and lovelier far than the richest of Parisian hues, 
covered with crystal gems, whose names were dew- 
drops, brighter far than Eldorado’s shining treasure, 
and fairer still than the onyx stone. 
The beds were four in number, one a star of five 
points, each alternate one of pink and white, with a 
trellis in the centre of each bed. Opposite was a 
moon, outside row Gladiolus, one foot apart; next 
Geraniums, one, a Gen. Grant, had at one time five 
clusters, and on one cluster one hundred and twenty- 
five florets and buds. In this was twelve different 
colors, both single and double ; next Dianthus, then 
Verbenas, and it was indeed a beauty. 
Now let me here say a word for Geraniums. I 
procured a paper of Zonale mixed seed, planted them 
in a box the last of March; first picked off the little 
husk, and I got twenty plants; transplanted to an¬ 
other box when they began to crowd, and into the 
bed in May, and they were in bloom the first of the 
second week in June, and were over eighteen inches 
in diameter through the top among the branches. I 
let each one develop but one cluster of flowers, just to 
see what they were, and kept off the rest, and now one 
would fill half an ordinary window. Those that have 
made my beds gorgeous with their summer bloom, I 
lift before frost, prune off all the soft and very tender 
growth, and ' all the foliage, shake off the soil, and 
hang up by the roots to the ceiling of the cellar, free 
from frost, and they keep in fine condition. Do not 
throw them away in spring because they look dead, 
for with good soil, water, and plenty of sunshine, they 
will soon wake up from their winter nap. 
Verbenas are grand because they last so long; the 
seed is sometimes three weeks in coming up, but will 
reward all care, and are as easy to raise as an Aster. 
The Lantaua makes fine bedding plants ; I had one 
raised from a cutting, whose branches spread six feet 
from May until August. The Abutilons are raised 
from cuttings, and are all fine. The Flowering Ma¬ 
ple, flower scarlet and yellow, looks much like a large 
inverted Tulip flower, makes a fine single plant on 
the lawn.- This and Boule de Niege (white) will give 
the best satisfaction. 
The Fuchsias are the regal queens, with their scar¬ 
let and royal purple, nothing can compare with these 
floral gems. I have two Speciosa six feet high, one 
year old, from the slip, and loaded with flowers. Carl 
Halt is a beauty, but a slow grower for me. These 
are my winter bloomers; I have several other vari¬ 
eties, one the V. de Puebla, which is very fine. These 
are all easily raised from slips of the tender growth. 
The Coleus stands among the first for foliage. I 
rooted a small slip, about three inches long, in March, 
put in the bed in May, and when I took it up in Au¬ 
gust, it was ten and a half feet in circumference and 
and four and a half feet high. The flower is very 
inferior, much resembling the wild herb catnip. But 
for growth, bloom, and easy culture, the Chrysanthemum 
is not half as much appreciated as it should be. Add 
a few of the Japanese to your collection, and see if 
they are not deserving of far more consideration. Bal¬ 
sams are next to Camelias. 
My beds were of very rich and deep soil, the plants 
pruned to one and three branches, also much of the 
foliage removed, and oh ! such flowers, as large and 
double as a Rose, and all shades of color, from deep 
scarlet to purest white; the latter always looked as 
though sprinkled with diamond dust. They make 
fine window plants, but their wants are imperative, 
deep, rich, mellow soil, and well pruned is the secret 
of their successful culture; they are very sensitive to 
frost or cold, and are easily grown from seed, and 
transplant well. 
Pansies, those blue-eyed treasures; give them your 
secluded spots, and plenty to eat and drink, and see 
their great blue eyes open, and nod you a welcome 
good morning; can be grown from seeds or cuttings. 
Then comes the Phlox, Dianthus, Carnation and 
Petunias. When we look upon each velvet petal and 
think that ere long they will be gone, we would fain 
inscribe upon each blushing flower and rustling leaf 
the words, “ too lovely to die ; ” but a few more days 
can we admire, and their brightness will fade, their 
leaves will droop, their petals close, and we say, “ too 
bright to last.” But lo, see ! 
u Who splashed with red the sumach hedge— 
The Sassafras with purple stain; 
Gave Ivy leaves a ruby edge. 
And painted all their stems again ? ” 
“ Who blanched my Thistle’s blushing face. 
And gave the winds her silver hair? 
Set Golden-rod within her place. 
And sce-ttered Asters everywhere ? M 
