may water from the bottom by placing same in tray 
of water until surface is moist. 
Seed may also be sown with success in the late sum- 
mer, about Aug. 1st and the seedlings may be wintered 
over in the cold frame or some other protection. Some 
growers sow seed out in well prepared seedbed in late 
fall or in November before the ground freezes. The 
seed remaining dormant until early spring when they 
spring to life and produce nice early and robust plants. 
When planting at this time of the year one should have 
the seedbed raised above the surrounding terrain to 
give good drainage and it is well to cover seedbed with 
a mulch of long straw and a hotbed sash placed over 
the top gives good results. 
The most necessary requirements for satisfactory 
germination is to keep well watered but not soaked, 
provide proper drainage, and plant the best seed ob- 
tainable, 
You may cover the seedbed with burlap before water- 
ing surface and leave on for about a week or ten days, 
but be sure to remove it when seedlings appear. To 
prevent (Damping Off) dust each packet of seed with 
either Semesan or Red Copper Oxide, a pinch to a 
packet. One may also use the above one and one-half 
tablespoons to a gal. water to spray seedbed if afraid 
of this fungus which takes millions of plants each year. 
Seed should be kept in tightly closed containers in 
refrigerator until used. 
CULTIVATING & FEEDING: Delphinium do well 
in most soils if a medium fertility exists, and it is well 
drained. It is a great advantage if the soil is worked 
deeply and some rotted manure has been incorporated 
with the lower soil to provide fertility and also as 
added humus as it retains moisture well and makes 
heavy soil much easier to work. After seedling plants 
are set one may give a light sprinkling of lime and a 
balanced fertilizer, say a tablespoon to each plant. As 
Delphinium use large quantities of moisture it is an 
advantage if one can keep the plants from suffering 
from drought during hot summer months by flooding 
the bed rather than just sprinkling surface, as the 
plants must never be set back by dry spells or you 
may not expect the best flower heads. The plants 
should be spaced about two feet apart or more to give 
good results. I prefer to use organic fertilizer well 
incorporated with the soil by composting manure and 
garden waste. I believe soil of about 7.5 ph. or a 
little on the alkaline side is preferable to a slightly 
acid condition. In closing, will add that if one has 
any rough material as coarse straw, or leaves for a 
mulch, or even sawdust has been tried by some to 
conserve moisture, and it cuts down the work of cul- 
tivating. 
BLACKMORE & LANGDON. Gold Medal strain of 
the Elatum Species, which had quite a part in the 
present strains of hybrids in America. The only Del- 
phinium in England which received 16 Gold medal 
awards from the Royal Horticultural Society, of Great 
Britain. This strain has been in the making for over 
fifty years and this seed is taken from over fifty named 
varieties which sell in England for from a half dollar 
to three dollars a plant. 
This strain takes in all the shades of blue from the 
lightest silvery blue to the dark blue, violet, purple, 
and includes mauves and pink shades. The florets are 
mostly semi double with some doubles and singles with 

