302 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  12,  1900. 
Seeds  and  Seed  Sowing. 
The  month  of  April  may,  to  a  certain  extent,  he  regarded  as  the 
commencement  of  the  gardening  year,  as  it  is  in  this  month  that  mi 
immense  amount  of  work  has  to  be  carried  out.  In  no  section  of  the 
craft  is  this  more  emphasised  than  in  the  department  for  sowing  see<i.s 
of  various  kinds  with  a  view  to  raising  flowering  plants  or  vegetahlei 
for  the  adornment  of  one  position,  and  the  stocking  with  utilitarian 
products  of  another.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  good  seeds  of  tl  e 
best  kinds  with  timely  and  careful  sowing  contribute  very  materially 
to  successful  culture.  The  good  seeds  are  to  be  obtained  with  a 
tolerable  degree  of  certainty  from  every  respectable  seedsman,  but  the 
sowing  is  unfortunately  only  too  often  so  badly  done  that  failure  is 
inevitable.  Many  and  repeated  failures  have  taught  me  how  to 
exercise  the  necessary  caution  and  care  to  insure  success;  1  have  been 
several  years  learning  the  lesson.  Other  persons  may  be  better  able 
to  steer  clear  of  rocks  and  shoals  than  I  have  done,  but  mistakes  occur 
so  easily  that  a  danger  signal  or  two  cannot  prove  other  than  useful. 
Neither  a  close  heavy  soil,  nor  a  light  poor  soil,  is  a  suitable 
medium  lor  the  vegetation  of  seeds.  Enrich  both  by  repeated  heavy 
dressings  of  manure  and  leaf  mould,  and  render  them  open  and  free  by 
an  abundant  admixture  of  some  hard,  gritty  substance,  such  as  stone 
chippings,  shattered  brick,  or,  best  of  all,  coal  ashes;  then  by  digging 
in  autumn  and  exposing  as  much  as  possible  to  the  action  of  frost, 
you  will  find  the  ground  in  readiness  for  the  seeds  on  the  first  fine  day 
in  spring.  This  is  a  thorough  and  efficient  method,  preferable  to  any 
other,  but  unfortunately  it  is  not  always  practicable,  makeshifts 
having  to  be  resorted  to  in  many  instances,  and  when  such  is  the  case 
“  little  and  good  ”  rather  than  “  much  and  bad  ”  should  be  our  motto. 
Instead  of  scattering  broadcast  such  few  fertilisers  as  our  limited 
means  can  command,  we  must  concentrate  them  in  drills,  trenches,  and 
stations,  so  as  to  have  the  requisite  amount  of  nourishment  within 
reach  of  the  earliest  roots  which  spring  from  the  seed  as  it  vegetates. 
Take,  for  examjde,  a  row  of  Peas.  Now  the  Pea  is  a  deep-rcoting 
gross  feeder,  with  a  free,  quick,  succulent  growth :  why,  to  tow  the 
seed  of  such  a  vegetable  in  a  poor,  inert  soil,  is  ridiculous — it  is  sheer 
waste,  and  it  is  quite  certain  to  cause  vexatious  disappointment,  and 
yet  there  can  be  no  doubt  about  its  being  done  season  after  season. 
Whereas  we  have  only  to  make  a  trench  a  foot  deep  and  wide,  laying 
the  excavated  soil  along  the  sides,  replacing  about  two-thirds  of  it 
with  manure,  leaf  mould,  or  other  decayed  vegetable  matter,  or  in  fac'. 
any  substance  which  appears  to  us  to  be  sufficiently  nutritious  for  tl  e 
purpose,  then  mixing  enough  of  the  displaced  soil  with  it  to  fill  the 
trench.  We  next  diaw  a  deep  drill  along  the  centre,  deeper  than  is 
absolutely  necessary  for  the  seed,  which  is  much  too  precious  to  be  lelt 
to  take  its  chance  in  such  a  rough  mixture ;  so  we  look  about  us  for  some 
old  leaf  mould,  wood  or  coal  ashes,  fine  charcoal,  shattered  brick  or 
stone  siftings,  making  the  best  mixture  of  any  of  these  we  can  find, 
scattering  an  inch  or  two  of  it  along  the  bottom  and  sides  of  the  drill ; 
then  comes  the  seed  with  a  covering  of  the  same  fine  gritty  substance 
pressed  gently  down  with  a  spade,  and  the  work  is  done  so  well  that 
we  may  feel  certain  vegetation,  and  a  free  robust  growth,  will  promptly 
ensue.  We  have  thus  laid  the  foundation  of  success,  but  we  must 
not  forget  the  risk  which  the  seed  runs  of  spoliation  from  mice  and 
birds. 
I  am  not  afraid  of  the  ravages  of  snails  in  such  a  quick,  free  soil  ; 
it  is  in  a  cold,  heavy,  inert  soil,  that  they  do  so  much  harm.  There 
are  some  favoured  spots  where  mice  and  sparrows  are  so  scarce  as  to  be 
comparatively  harmle.“s,  but  in  most  gardens  these  jrests  are  so  rampant 
that  they  canuot  be  ignored.  1  have  a  lively  lemembiance  of  the  keen 
mortification  of  a  certain  worthy  amateur  who,  after  incurring  the 
expense  of  wire  guards,  lost  the  whole  of  his  first  sowing  of  Peas 
Irom  mice,  which  were  screened  Irom  observation  ly  the  guards. 
When  protection  is  necessary  I  much  prefer  sheets  of  glass  laid  singly 
end  to  end  along  each  row,  with  a  wire  stretched  over  them  to  prevent 
the  wind  blowing  them  aw-ay,  letting  the  plants  lilt  the  glass  as  they 
rise  above  the  soil,  thus  starving  out  the  mice  and  tantalising  the 
sparrows.  Failing  the  glass  we  may  resort  to  pieces  of  slate  or  roofing 
tiles,  being  careful,  however,  to  remove  them  immediately  the  Peas 
reach  the  surface,  and  using  wire  guards  r  r  netting  to  keep  off  the 
birds  ;  the  seed  vegetating  under  such  opaque  coverings  quite  as 
readily  as  it  does  under  glass. 
For  smaller  seeds,  such  as  Cauliflowers,  Brussels  Sprouts,  and 
kindred  subjects,  make  the  drills  deeper  than  usual  to  afford  space 
lor  an  inch  or  two  of  the  same  gritty  substance  as  was  used  for  the 
Peas,  enveloping  all  the  seeds  in  a  precisely  similar  manner ;  also  take 
especial  care  to  put  netting  over  ihe  seed  beds  a  few  days  after 
sowing;  birds’  eyes  are  keener  than  ours,  and  they  will  detect  the 
sprouting  growth  long  before  it  is  visible  to  us.  I  have  known  sand 
to  be  used  very  successfully  for  covering  seeds,  but  I  hesitate  to 
recommend  it,  for  in  ironstone  districts  the  whitest  sand  usually 
contains  sufficient  oxide  of  iron  to  destroy  the  seed  germs  as  they 
start  into  activity ;  sometimes  the  young  growth  will  force  its  way 
through  the  sand,  but  even  then  the  delicate  cuticle  of  the  stern 
suffers  so  much  from  contact  with  the  sand  that  the  plant  soon  fails.. 
For  Carrots,  Parsnips,  B  et,  and  Salsafy  it  has  been  shown  long  ago- 
that  holes  hlledwith  fine,  rich,  gritty  soil  for  each  root  insures  a  crop;, 
the  plan  is  a  tedious  and  laborious  one,  which  we  would  gladly 
dispense  with  at  this  busy  reason  of  the  year,  and  is  only  recom¬ 
mended  when  failure  is  inevitable  without  it. 
A  greater  amount  of  success  attends  the  general  culture  of  flower 
seeds,  because  many  of  them  are  raised  under  glass  in  pans ;  but  even 
with  this  advantage  a  little  extra  care  makes  all  the  d  (Terence 
between  success  and  failure.  Very  minute  seeds,  such  as  of  Gloxinia 
and  Begonia,  answer  best  if  sown  on  a  damp  surface  and  left  to 
vegetate  uncovered  with  soil;  but  then  excessive  evaporation  must  be 
checked,  (or  if  they  are  exposed  to  the  sun  or  any  parching  influence 
watering  will  be  necessary,  involving  much  risk  of  washing  away  the 
seed;  moreover,  to  suffer  such  seed  to  become  very  dry  just  as 
vegetation  takes  place  is  to  destroy  it.  The  best  plan,  therelore,  is  to 
place  tl  e  pans  in  a  genial  temperature,  and  to  exclude  light  from  the 
seed  till  growth  begins.  Formerly  I  used  pieces  of  muslin,  but  now 
prefer  sheets  of  thick  paper  placed  upon  the  tops  of  the  pans 
immediately  after  the  seeds  are  sown,  and  thus  avoid  all  risk  of- 
failure. — L.  E. 
- - 
Vine  Extension. 
It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  the  more  latitude  and  freedom  allowed 
to  the  shoots  of  a  Vine  the  longer  will  the  latter  continue  in  good 
healih  and  bearing.  This  is  evidenced  by  the  remarkable  specimens 
to  be  seen  at  Hampton  Court,  Cumberland  Lodge,  and  Manresa  House, 
lioehampton.  The  former  is  about  130  years  old,  the  next  mentioned 
(propagated  from  it)  has  reached  the  age  of  100,  and  the  latter  is,  I 
believe,  nearly  forty  years.  All  of  these  are  still  vigorous,  and  annually 
bear  large  crops  of  fruit.  That  this  would  not  be  the  case  had  their 
growth  been  more  restricted  is  not  difficult  to  believe.  It  is  reconled 
by  travellers  in  the  East,  that  in  sou  e  parts  of  Palestine  the  \  ine 
grows  most  luxuriantly,  developing  into  trees  with  stocks  1  foot  in 
diameter,  and  yielding  bunches  of  enormous  weight. 
In  the  cultivation  of  the  Vine  in  our  glass  houses  at  home,  its 
development  under  natural  conditions  is,  I  think,  not  sufficiently 
borne  in  mind.  I  know  well  that  the  shoots  must  he  kept  within 
certain  bounds,  but  in  my  opinion  the  latitude  allowed  them  is  often  not 
nearly  so  much  as  ought  to  be  and  might  be  given.  In  the  first  place, 
permanent  Vines  are  frequently  planted  tjo  thickly.  A  distance  of 
3  feet  6  is  not  too  much  to  allow  between  late  Vines,  though  early 
forced  ones  may  be  placed  3  feet  apart.  Instead  of  following  the  usual 
practice  of  planting  permanent  Vines  at  intervals  along  the  front  of  the 
house,  1  would  suggest  that  temporary  ones  be  put  there,  and  that  two 
plants,  to  ultimately  fill  the  whole  vinery,  are  planted  in  the  centre  of 
this  latter,  about  4  feet  apart. 
The  method  of  training  I  would  recommend  is  to  allow  the  canes  to 
reach  the  top  of  the  house  as  quickly  as  is  consistent  with  the  proper 
development  of  fruit  spurs  at  the  same  tiuie,  and  then  to  tram  the 
reds  in  exactly  opposite  directions — i.e.,  towards  each  end  of  the  vinery. 
Eventually,  at  distances  from  3  to  4  feet,  lateral  canes,  at  right  angles 
to  the  above,  would  be  allowed  to  grow  down  the  trellis  to  the  bottom 
of  the  vinery.  Such  a  system  ot  trainirg  is  advantageous,  because  the 
temporary  Vines  are  not  interfered  with  in  the  least  for  some  years, 
and  would  not  suffer  at  all  from  the  pre-ence  of  the  permanent  ones. 
The  former,  ol  course,  would  be  gradually  removed  as  th  ■  latter 
advanced. 
It  is  generally  recommended  that  the  growing  shoots  of  a  Vine  are 
best  stopped  at  two  or  three  leaves  beyond  the  embryo  bunch.  I 
think  it  is  a  mistake,  however,  to  lay  down  a  rule  at  all  lor  this 
work,  for  the  more  healthy  foliage  that  can  be  developed  the  better 
will  the  plant  be  able  to  thorougtily  mature  its  crop  of  fruit,  and  the 
amount  of  foliage  there  is  room  for  must  be  determined  by  the  culti¬ 
vator.  Important  as  it  is  that  shoots  in  their  young  state  should  not 
be  excessively  pinched,  it  is  also  most  necessary  to  exercise  care  in  this 
matter  when  a  crop  of  fiuit  is  developing.  One  gardener — a  few 
years  ago  a  prominent  and  successful  exhibitor  of  Grapes — used  to 
allow  his  Vines  to  grow'  at  will  when  bearing  fruit.  The  shoots  would 
even  reach  down  the  back  wall  of  the  vinery,  so  luxuriant  did  they 
become,  and  the  success  of  this  practice  was  evidenced  by  the 
numerous  prizes  awarded  to  Grapes  cultivated  by  this  gentleman. 
The  direct  action  of  sunlight  upon  the  berries  in  the  processes  of 
colouring  and  ripening  does  not  appear  to  be  so  necessary  as  that  of 
air  undoubtedly  is,  for  even  when  Vine  shoots  are  shortened  con- 
1  siderably  more  than  advocated  by  the  writer,  very  little  sun  is  able 
to  i)enetrate  between  the  large  fully  developed  leaves.  I  do  not  see, 
therefore,  how  the  treatment  above  mentioned  can  be  otherwise  than 
beneficial  to  the  welfare  of  the  Vine  and  its  crop  of  fruit. — H.  H.  T, 
