CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 
It is a very satisfactory plan to make several sowings of 
seed, so the pansies will be at their best at different times. 
In most climates best results are obtained by planting 
pansy seed in August or early September for early spring 
blooms. 
If seed is planted in October, it is safer not to trans¬ 
plant the seedlings until spring, for in most climates they 
will not have time to become well established before the 
freezing weather sets in. 
Spring Planting is desirable in climates too severe for 
the safe wintering over of plants. These should bloom pro¬ 
fusely all summer, but will produce their largest blooms in 
the fall or during a cool rainy spell in summer if there 
should be one. 
Sow the seed thinly in seed-boxes or flats and sift just 
enough soil (and peat moss, if available) over the seed to 
barely cover them. Then firm the soil by pressing it with a 
flat board before sprinkling. Sprinkle twice a day or often 
enough so that the seed never dries out. Cover with a cloth 
or lath frame until they have germinated well. If the seed 
is planted in the spring a glass frame hastens germination 
and growth. Seed should germinate in from seven to four¬ 
teen days, depending upon conditions. 
The seed beds should be protected during heavy storms 
or the tiny seedlings will be beaten down and perhaps 
ruined. More people fail to get good germination through 
sowing their seed too deep or letting it dry out than any 
other causes, so especial care should be taken in regard to 
that. But damping off may result if kept too moist, so it is 
better to sprinkle often rather than a great deal at a time. 
The shading with some kind of frame is also important be¬ 
cause then they will not dry out so fast and there isn’t so 
much danger of neglecting to sprinkle often enough. 
Transplant when the seedlings have three or four leaves 
if weather conditions are favorable. Better let them be¬ 
come a little crowded than to transplant during a hot dry 
spell. Fall seedlings should be planted out in the open 
where they will get plenty of sunshine and where they will 
remain for spring blooming unless the winter is apt to be 
extremely severe. In such places they may need the pro¬ 
tection of cold frames but pansies will stand even some 
zero weather if protected by straw or peat moss placed 
around (not over) the plants. Pansies that weather it 
through the winter out in the open will make the sturdiest 
plants and produce the largest, finest blooms in the early 
spring. 
Pansies that are transplanted in the spring for summer blooming, 
do well on the east side of some building where they will get the 
morning sun but not the hot afternoon sun. The north side gives 
pansies too much shade for good results. 
Plants that are being grown for spring sales, may be set about six 
or eight inches apart in the row and the rows may be about fifteen or 
more inches apart, depending upon what method of cultivation is 
used. If the plants are to remain all summer, they should be set at 
least a foot apart in the row. 
Pansies want rich soil. Well rotted cow fertilizer seems to be the 
best for pansies, although rabbit, chicken, sheep and horse manures 
are good, as well as bone-meal and other commercial fertilizers. It 
is a good plan to enrich the soil well, several months before time to 
transplant the seedlings. 
In cultivating, leave the bed flat. Some people have a tendency 
to cultivate, raking the soil away from the plant so that each plant 
is left sitting on a little mound and this is apt to leave the side roots 
exposed. Rake the soil toward the plant; not away from them. Always 
cultivate the next day after irrigating, leaving the soil loose. This 
dust mulch helps to conserve the moisture, and it is not necessary to 
irrigate so often. 
CANBY 
MRS. MERTON G. ELLIS 
(Closed on Sundays) 
OREGON 
