Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-10
The Floral World.

How to Sow Seed s"eeessfully-The Best
 Varieties to SeIect-A White Gerani- um.
 From the New York Evening Post.1
 The season is approaching when every one
 interested in gardens feels the desire to be-
 gin operations The weather for the next
 thirty days will allow little to be done out q
 doors, but much may be done in doors, both
 in flowers and vegetables, cheaply and sim
 ply, by sowing seeds. No horticultural oc. cupation is more interesting than that of sowing seeds to produce plants for resetting in the open ground when the season is warm enough.
 All the leading kinds of flower seeds can
 be bought for five dollars. The best way of sowing seeds is not in flower pots as is too often done; these are too porous and dry toe quickly, particularly in the atmosphere of sitting room, where the air is necessari- ly much dryer than in the green house or hot bed Our best florists no longer SOW seeds in earthenware, but use shallow boxes instead. Common soap boxes, cut into three or four pieces, making depth of not more than one or two inches for the soil into which the seods are to be sown, are conven- tent. Of course any size of box will do, but it should not be of greater depth than two inches, otherwise the soil will get too wet and become sour. Care must be taken that the bottom of the box is left open sufficient excess. Almost any good soil will suit, which, for convenience, had better be pro cured from the nearest florist.
 After placing the soil in the boxes make the surface perfectly level and smooth, then SOW the seed evenly over it, press it into the soil and cover it. The rule is that all seeds should have covering of soil equal to the size of the seed.
 When covered, water gently with fine rose watering pot this one watering will usually be sufficient until the seeds come up in any case the soil should not be again wa tered until, by it's light color, it shows indi- cation of being dry. Although seeds will germinate in the dark, the moment that they break the surface of the soil they should be placed in the lightest possible place.
 The temperature best suited to the gsrmi- nation of nearly all seeds is about 6Oo at night with 70o during the day. After the seeds have started to make the rough leaves, they should be rspIanted from the seed boxes into similar boxes at distances from an inch to an inch and half apart, where they can remain to be set out in the open ground, from the middle to the end of May.
 It is very important to get the proper kinds of flower seeds, because there are hun dreds of varieties offered in the seedsmens lists that it would be useless for the amateur to attempt to cultivate. For want of dis Crimination in selection much disappoint- ment ensues. The kinds re commended to give the most general satisfaction are asters in variety, balsams (camelia fiowered), candy tuft, in variety, cockscombs, chrysanthemum tri-color, coleus, convolVulus, cypress vine, geraniums, marigold (gold-striped), migno- nette. pyramidal, and spiral, pansy, in varle- ty, Phiox drummondii, petunia, single and double, stocks, verbenas and zinuia.
 Another plan, very satisfactory with anna Esur gardeners raising howess, is to purchase very small plants from the florist about the | first week in April, which at that season can be had at about one third the price they are sold for in May. These plants are shifted nto pots 8 size larger, and can be kept in the I sitting room where there is plenty of light. By the time of planting out in May they will ! nave grown to be large and fine plants They will require but little care. The kinds of plants best suited for summer flo Tering that ,an be safely grown in the sittin6 room are oegonias, chrysanthemums, carnations, gera- aiums eff all kinds fuscsias, heliotrope and roses. There are many others, of ,ourse but these are the simplest and such IS will be most satisfactory.
 A tea rose that bids fair to be treasure is he Mime. Ched. Gunniroisseau," 8 monthly, ,f magnificent yellow tint, something like he "Isabells Sprunt,' only much finer. A curiosity seen in proHiaont. growers greenhouse is pure white geranlum, sport rom 8 variagated white and green variety. It cannot be propagated by any known pro- ,ess of the florist, though fixed white ge aninm would be af very great value.