Growing Flowers 
From Seed 
A fter selecting the portion of your garden in which you 
wish to plant flowers, pay particular attention to the 
preparation of the soil. If you will refer to page 3 you will 
And some information that will help in this, although, of 
course, the ground will be spaded instead of plowed. Work 
the soil deeply and make the top three or four inches as flne 
and loose as possible. It is well to apply a liberal coating of 
well rotted manure and spade in, in the fall. When spring 
comes, work the soil as early as possible and apply commer¬ 
cial fertilizer as a top dressing (see commercial fertilizer 
page 4). Much weed killing can be done before planting. 
SOWING THE SEED 
Nearly all flowers do well in sunny locations, a few can be 
grown in the shade. Most flowers can be grown by sowing 
the seed as soon as the soil has become warm and danger 
of all frost is over. The old rule is to plant seeds to a depth 
of about twice their diameter. Fine seeds may be pressed 
into the soil with a flat board, and a very little soil sprinkled 
over them. Remember that “in union there is strength,” and 
for flne seeds especially, sowing too thin may result in the 
single plants not having enough strength to break through 
the soil. Do not plant too deeply. Larger seeds, of course, 
will stand deeper planting. Construct a shade to keep off 
the burning rays of the sun and prevent crusting, also to 
avoid the seed being washed away by rains. Crinkle Covers 
set close together over the seed row make an excellent shade 
and will enable two weeks earlier planting. See page 96. Be 
sure to mark all rows where you sow the seed so you will 
know what you have planted and where. 
STARTING PLANTS IN FLATS 
Many flowers if sown outside do not bloom until quite late 
in the summer. You can have them early if you sow the 
seed in hotbeds, cold frames, or in the house in boxes. In 
fact, many annuals benefit by being transplanted as it de- 
veloi>s for them a better root system. In this group are 
snapdragon, carnation, cosmos, dianthus, pansy, petunia, phlox 
and verbena. If sown indoors in boxes or flats, these should 
be of convenient size and about 3- inches deep like shown in 
the illustration. The soil used should be composed of about 
equal parts of leaf mold, sharp sand and good garden soil. 
The bottom of the flat may be covered with a layer of coarse 
cinders, broken pots or 
some such material, and 
the prepared soil finely 
sifted to fill up the bal¬ 
ance of the box within 
about an inch of the 
toi). Place in a window 
where exposed to the 
sun and cover with a 
pane of glass to retard 
evaporation. Water care¬ 
fully with a fine spray, 
keeping the soil moist 
but not wet. Remove 
the glass as soon as the 
seeds begin to sprout. 
Some flower seeds are 
very slow to germinate 
and a few require sev¬ 
eral weeks before 
sprouts appear. When 
the seedlings are large 
enough to handle, about 
four leaves, they should 
be transplanted one 
inch apart in another 
bed, flat or in small 
pots (paper pots are ex¬ 
cellent for this purpose). 
The plants pulled may 
be transplanted to other 
boxes, later to be reset 
in the open ground. 
104 
D. V. Burrell Seed Growers Co„ Rocky Ford, Colo, 
