684 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
August 27, 1904. 
Seeds* 
(Continued from page 442.) 
We may say that when grown under glass it is an excellent 
plan to cover seeds with twice their thickness of soil, and thrice 
when sown out of doors. This is speaking broadly, as no hard 
and fa st rule can be laid down. Snow, as we know, is a splendid 
fertiliser for wheat and some bulb®, and, you siee, snow contains 
a. portion of oxygen and often trace®! of nitrogen, so we see 
that oxygen is a necessity for seed life. The life of a, seed 
varies to a very great extent. Some seeds after lying dormant 
for months are entirely useless and quite dead, whilst others 
that have been excluded from light will germinate after many 
venerations 1 . 1 will give you one 1 or two instances. At Carlton 
Hill, Edinburgh, after turning-up operations for building pur¬ 
poses, Fumaria micrantha sprang up in abundance. Ini that 
case it is clear that the germinating powers of some ■seeds will 
last for many generations, if properly protected from damp, 
light, and air. 
Different seed® have come t-o< light in Stirlingshire after a. 
considerable depth of peat moss has been removed from the 
surface. Mr. Kemp gives an instance of seeds growing at the 
bottom of a sand-pit 25 ft. deep. In hisi calculations this 
seed must have been deposited there at least 2,000 years. 
Turnip seed has been known to grow at Darton after it has 
been sown eight years. Floods buried the seeds' a great depth 
at the lower part of the held; eight years after the flood a 
good depth of soil was removed for road improvement, and 
Fostertan Hybrid sprang up, much to the surprise of the f armer. 
These are just one' or two instances that have come under my 
notice, but they serve to show us. that under certain conditions 
the vitality of a seed in many cases is immeasurable. 
When seeds are sown the time of germination of one seed 
and another is widely different. All hard-shelled seeds are 
the most difficult to raise, or other protection® that render them 
irregular in sprouting, some perfectly fresh and good remain 
underground for a longer period than one would like ; examples 
of these may bei found in Primula., Cyclamen, and Auricula, 
which, if sown fresh from the plant, grow often, in. a few weeks. 
If, however, kept dry ini packets, some 1 will sprout readily, 
whilst a proportion may appear in ai year or mure, so that it 
is best to 'sow these seed's in pots, and prick off the seedlings 
which are large enough without disturbing the rest of the soil, 
which will give the late growing seeds a chance. Soaking for 
twenty-four hours' in tepid water before sowing, hastens their 
sprouting. 
The seed of the Anemone will often lie from six to twelve 
months before sprouting. Palm seeds require a good heat to 
get them up.; the stones of the Date Palm sometimes take from 
six to twelve months, and others often as long. C'annas are 
called Indian shot, as their seedsi resemble bullet® in. every¬ 
thing but. heaviness: • to make them sprout, file through the 
covering m one place. Pose®, Hawthorn, and Hollies 1 are' easily 
raised, though very slowly, as a, year elapses, before they pierce 
the ground. Where a, quantity is required, the seed should 
not be sown out. of doorsi in drills, but buried altogether in a 
mass mixed with sand; there they are less liable to be eaten 
by mice, and further the space taken up is less. After re¬ 
maining twelve months, the seed should be taken up 1 and sown 
in the usual way, and in a few weeks they will sprout. Most 
tree® may be grown from seed, but. it- is preferable where 
vermin abound, to save over the seed until the spring, and then) 
sow ; to preserve them mix with earth. 
Sowing seed broadcast is simple. A small quantity is taken 
in the hand and lightly scattered over the earth, swinging 
' the arm slightly so as to equally distribute the seed. When 
large quantities of the smaller seeds are sown,, they are more 
easily scattered evenly if mixed with three times their bulk in 
fine dry soil. After sowing, gently rake over the surface of 
the earth, which will cover most of the seeds with soil. Better 
still scatter over the sown plots with fine good soil. Sow on 
a. still day. A wind is likely to carry som e of the' seed across 
* A. paper re id by Hr. H. Hindson, F.R.H.3., Barnsley, at a meeting of th 
Barnsley Paxton Society on May 10. 
to the other side of the garden. Sow rather too thick than 
too thin, for this 1 ensures that no. blank spots will occur later 
in the season. 
(To he continued.) 
The Rock Garden. 
Plants in Flower. 
Cornus canadensis. 
Most- of the specie® of C'ornus or Dogwood are shrubs or 
dwarf trees, but that under notice is one of the few exceptions 
in which we have a, dwarf-growing herbaceous subject belonging 
tot the same group. The plant is only about 6 in. high, and 
bears usually one or two clusters or whorls of leaves, above 
which the stem is surmounted by four large white bracts, re¬ 
sembling a flower. There are really numerous small flowers 
crowded in a head, but, the white bracts render the plant highly 
interesting. This Canadian species may be compared to the 
British C. sueoica, A cool situation must be selected for this 
dwarf Dogwood:, and if peaty soil is prepared for its reception 
it will give all the more satisfaction. Our native one naturally 
grows in soil containing a, large proportion of peat, if not 
entirely of that material. Increase can be obtained by lifting 
and dividing the underground stemsi with a little care, so as 
to avoid cutting any more stems than is necessary, and secure 
a few roots of each, if possible. 
Silene Schafta. 
Few of the dwarf Silanes are prettier than the subject of 
this note, which come® from the Caucasus. It, cannot be de¬ 
scribed as a cushion Pink, seeing that the stems are usually 
3 in. to 5 in. high, and when in a suitable situation generally 
more or less branched, each branch bearing one flower. The 
latter is of rich rose colour, and the long calyx tube is purple. 
It, is therefore truly a. rock plant, and will grow in almost 
any situation even when quite dry, but in dry situations it 
does, not give the same satisfaction as plants in a moister 
situation. If the place selected is' liable to' get diied up 
during periods'of drought, the flowers produced areifew, though 
the plant continues to exist even under such conditions. If 
the cultivator secures! a good depth of .soil that will keep cool 
and moist during the heat of the day, the plant will reward 
him by producing a. large number of flowers over a longer 
period. The plant is also more easily propagated by division 
when thus- treated fairly liberally, but at the same time it 
produce® a greater number of barren shoot® which may be 
used as cuttings, and any amount of stock obtained in this 
way during the summer mouths. It i® by no means a new 
plant, but is less seldom met. with in collections than one 
would expect. 
Sedum Ewersii. 
The stems of this specie®We rather slender and decumbent, 
so that while it may be grown on the ground level, it is seen to 
much better advantage if elevated, so that the branches may 
hang over the ledges of stones. The leaves are roundish and 
of a distinct glaucous hue, so' that they form a, beautiful set¬ 
ting toi the cluster of pink or rose flowers.. The latter are 
really light in colour, but, the young seed vessels in the centre 
are much darker and serve to. render the flowers brighter. 
No difficulty need be experienced in propagating this or any 
of the Sedums to any necessary extent. 
Hypericum olympicum. 
Many of the dwarf-growing species of St. John’s Wort, are 
very suitable for cultivation on the rockery, and that, which 
I here name is both pretty, interesting, and not, at, all common. 
It, is a native of Asia, Minor, and produces close tuft® of upright 
stems about 6 in. to 10 in high, each bearing from one to ten 
flowers, according to it,si strength. The stems are also closely 
clothed with small, deep, sea-green, leaves, which serve to give 
the plant an interesting appearance, even after it has passed 
out, of bloom. Most of these dwarf-growing Hypericums may 
