Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-02-08
9arnl aud Hpll sehoId.
FIoBers and tlleIr Culture.
BY .. WICK, ROCHESTER.


BY 3. WICK, ROCHESTER,.
SoWING THE SEEDS. flowers
Or such as are grown from seeds, are lie
most popular and especially appropriate
for young people or those of little ex-
perience and limited means. Others
may I'll up their flower beds with plants
from the green house, ready grown or
in bloom; but these do not afford half
the pleasayeable excitement TO youthful
minds which those do that have been
nursed and tended from the tiny seed,
and OF which every new leaf and bud
has been watched with eager anticipa-
ton till tke opening blossoms appeared.
When, where and how to SOW the
seeds are points Of some difficulty with
the novice in Horticulture, but are all
explained in the books and catalogues.
Most of the varieties bear transplanting
well, and may advantageously be sown
early IN hOt-bed or in box OF earth
in the kitchen. Others should be sOwn
where the plants are to remain-and in
fact nearly all viii succeed well in this
way, If early blooming is not special
OBJECT. Those classed in the catalogues
as hardy sorts should be sown quite early
in the spring hdlf-hardya week or
two later, or about complaining time.
and the tender ones little later still, ii
not started in hot-bed. The principal
care required in sowing is to avoid COW
ering the seeds too deeply, and to shade
the Smaller kinds SO that the hot sun
shall not dry the surface and destroy
them while vegetating. This latter is
particularly necessary in our south
western climate, where hot sunshine
and drying winds are quite frequent in
spring as well as in summer. - gEsf &
After covering the delicate seeds
slightly with fine earth, and watering
freely but gently with warm water,
cover the surface with bits of newspa-
per or similar articles, fastening them
with pegs or with stones at the corners,
toprevent them from being blown off,
If gentle rains occur the coverings may
be removed fer the time, but if a heavy
shower is anticipated leave them on
rs it would otherwise beat the surface
too hard. After four or FIVE days, be.
gin to look for the young plants to ap
pear, and soon as visible remove the
covering, bat If hot sunny weather givt
partial shade for few days laying {
little fine brush over the spots, or Z
few sticks cross s-wiSe, and be careful Il
give water if dry weather. Thin oui
the plants. il so thick as to crowd eaef
other before large enough to transplant
i TRANBPLAETING.-A soon as al
danger from frosts is Overland the plant.
are large enough to handle. transplant
ing should be done. The best imple
ment for this purpose is a small plaut
ing trowel, sold at most hardware stores
Choose a cloudy day, or do the worl
evenings. The plants can generally b
taken up two or three together, with ;
little ball of earth, and removed with
lout breaking the roots. Be sure AMI
J give the plants room enough to grow
according to their size and habit, waite
freely when set, and if delicate sorts o
the roots much disturbed, give partia
!, shade for few days, by sticking bit O
!: lshingle on the south side, or fastenin,
! paper or rhubarb leaves over the plants
THE SUB TROPICAL STYLE of Flow
er Beds is the very latest fashion in raori
, culture. It is more natural and les
} snowy than the E5i6fon Style, describe,
, in our former article, and requires NOR
skilI.and knowledge of plants for it
: effective practice. But with littl
j study, and the aid of hot-bed for start
5 ing the plants, there need be no fear i
: making beginning; then year or tw
: of experiment will give pleasure am
success.
2 This style is based upon the prineipI
7 that there is much Of beauty in the forn
! and expression of plant and foliage, a
1 well as in the mere blossom; and as th
: finest examples of this kind of beaut
s are seen in ,sub-tropical plants an
scenery, this title has been adopted fo
: this style Of fower-bed5. A hanGsom
l book devoted to the subject has recent
: been published in England, by a POI
ular writer on Horticulture.
: AS the plants suited for this style ar
| mostly of tall growth, and some of theI
' little coarse when closely inspected
the location of the beds should not b
: too near the dwelling or the front wall
: IbHt along the side of the lawn or carr
, fage-r0ad, and where they will not oil
struct any desirable view. The SO
should be a little moist, rather than dry
and made quite deep and rich. tn
addition of some fine black muck G
: wood earth will be an advantage.
Of the suitable plants that can b
: raised from seed, the Cannas deserve
the first place. Although perennial, tn
iplants make a fine show if started earl
in a hot-bed. Then the Ricinus is
splendid sub-tropical plant some of th
varieties growing or 10 feet in heigh
In fact a bed Of Cannas alone, with
Hplant or two of Ricinus in the centre
; and a border of native ferns or orna
mental grasses, would make a yer
pretty sub-tropical bed for beginnel
A little study of the Catalogue wi
suggest a number of other suitable plant
to keadditiona groups with pieasin
variety; such as the AInaranthus, d
; gitalis and Datura, also the Doubl
Hollyhoek and Dahlia for the bac
lground, and in front few Tritomas
. ! IGladiolus and Japan Lilies; but car
, and taste must be exercised In their a
rangement, especially TO oavoid too grea
, mixture, and to allow the large grow
ing plants room TO develop their luz
uriance OF form and foliage. 1t vii
: take some time to educate the mass G
/ the people to the full appreciation 0
this style of beauty, but when the tast
: lis thus improved, the sources of enjoy
ment are increased, and the genera
welfare promoted.