Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-04-10
Uultiva1ion o. Flowers.

We copy the following items from the annual
Catalogue of one of the most successful cuitiva-
tors and sellers of flower seeds in the United
States:
Hardy ANIMALS are those plants that flower and
ripen their fruits and perish in one season, but
many of them may be sown in autumn to flower
early the next year. Hardy ANNALS grow with
out artificial heat, come to perfection in the open
grounds; but what are known as half hardy plants
need little artificial heat, except in very favora-
bic localities. great many persons, who do not
understand the cultivation Of some Of the tender
and small seeded varieties, sometimes complain
OF the best seeds, which fail, not on account of
the bad growing properties of the seeds but solely
from bad management. Wehave heard repeated
instances of many delicate seeds, like the Cal
ceolaria, Chinese Primrose, being sown in the
open ground. On one occasion a party com
planned of certain varieties of fine seeds that we
found, upon examination, were sOwn from one to
two inches deep-literally buried. The most in
experienced in gardening matters can SOW sweet
pees, but it requires practced hand to look after
such delicate seeds as calceolaria, cineraria,
fuchsia, and such like.
And we add that it requires the very finest
preparation of soil. Werecommend all who SOW
the most delicate flower seeds. to slit the earth
through a seive fine enough for corn meal Upon
the subject of soil, we copy from the catalogue
the following observations:
SoIL-The soil best adapted to Towering plants
generally is light frable loan, containing mod
crate amount of vegetable matter, and sufficient
sand to render it porous, but it rarely happens
that the amateur has much choice of soil, it is
fortunate that most of them will succeed in any,
but such is of an extremely dry, sandy, or cal
careous nature, or of stiff, heavy, retentve
character. In the former, the plants are sure to
be starved, and in the latter, if they fairly
take root there is generally an undue development
of the foliage at the expense OF the flowers. In
soils of this description much may be done by
thoroughly breaking up the superficial crust, or,
as il is technically termed, 'trenching it at least
one spade deep, digging in sharp sand or road
scrapings, and ii the operation be performed in
autumn so that theloosened soil is thoroughly ex-
posed during the winter to the disintegrating in
huences of frost and other atmospheric agencies
the advantage will be greatly increased.
In soil of opposite character, j. e., sandy or
cacare0us, the remedy will obviously consist in
the addition of loan, in conjunction with decayed
1 leaves old rotten manure, where expense Is
no object, the surface may be entirely removed
to the depth of eight ten inches, aud its place
supplied with the best lOamv compost at hand
/ The use OF strong crude manure of an animal ma
ture should be avoided In ordinarily good soil
an annual leaf dressing of leaf mold, deca we'd
turf, or thoroughly rotten manure, in quantities
proportOned to the requirements OF the soil, dug
to the depth of few inches, will be all that is
requisite These should be applied in spring.
only just previous to sowing the seeds, or much
of the benefit resulting from their application will
be lost, though single digging may be advan-
tageously given in autumn. In preparing the
beds, care must be taken that they are so arranged
that the ground may be little elevated in the
middle that the water may off, and the plants
show to Il better advantage.