Seed . . . Delphiniums can easily be grown 
from seed which can be sown practically any 
time of the year, according to the climatic con- 
ditions, equipment available or time of flow- 
ering desired. Under California conditions, for 
early spring flowers, sow from June to Sep- 
tember; for midsummer blooms, December to 
January; and for fall blooms, February to 
April. In regions with severe winters, the early 
summer sowing, from June to July, is recom- 
mended, so that the little plants are well es- 
tablished before the winter sets in. Otherwise, 
the most practical time to sow is early spring. 
Seed can be kept in good condition for sey- 
eral years if kept in air-tight containers in a 
refrigerator. In fact, it is practicable even with 
fresh seeds to place it between two moist blot- 
ting papers and leave it directly under the 
freezing compartment of the refrigerator for 
at least a week to induce higher germination. 
For best results, sow in flats in a mixture of 
two-thirds coarse leaf mold and one-third 
loam, covering slightly with the same mix- 
ture, and moisten thoroughly. To prevent 
evaporation, cover the flats with newspaper 
and glass until germination takes place. Im- 
mediately after the young plants begin to ap- 
pear, both the glass and the newspaper should 
be taken off; however, the plants should be 
kept shaded and kept moist constantly. 
VISITING SEEDSMEN AMONGST OUR GALAHAD SERIES 
THE CULTURE OF 
20 
Germination . . . Artificial heat can be 
used for germination in early spring and it 
will give far better results than the natural 
heat in summer. To get the best results in ger- 
mination, bottom heat is necessary, with a 
cool temperature overhead. This is well sup- 
plied under glass in early spring; however, in 
summer, due to hot weather conditions, it is 
usually the opposite and this is why many 
people have failures even with the very fresh- 
est seed. At temperatures of 85 degrees Fah- 
renheit and up, the germination is often very 
poor and what germinates stands a very good 
chance of being simply cooked. To prevent 
this, after the seeds are sown in flats, place 
them on the floor in a cool room or shed, 
where they can be kept dark for the first ten 
days, until germination takes place. Then give 
light and fresh air, but keep them well pro- 
tected against any drying out. We have re- 
peatedly checked on seeds which were sown 
under greenhouse conditions in summer or 
the cool shed method or a well-shaded lath 
house, and the results in each case were from 
20 to 50 per cent better under lath house con- 
ditions than under the greenhouse conditions. 
Under slow, cool germination practically every 
seed will gradually come up. Under quick, 
hot conditions only a few will germinate, the 
rest remaining dormant in the soil. Dampen- 
ing off will occur only if flats are kept too wet 
in the greenhouse, without proper ventilation. 
