Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-04-11
How TO Raise Early Flowers from
Seeds,

aeeuAs
The season is approaching when everyone
interested in gardens feels the desire to begin
operations. The weather for the next thirty
days will allow little to be done out of doors
in this latitude, but much may be done in
doors, both in flowers and vegetables, cheap
ly and simply, by sowing seeds. No horti-
cultural occupation is more interesting than
that of sowing seeds to produce plants for re-
setting in the open ground when the season
is warm enough.
All the leading kinds of flower seeds can be
bought for five dollars writer in the Ev-
ening Post, who evidently has practical
knowledge on the subject, gives the follow
ing directions The best way Of sowing
seeds is not in flower pots, as is too often
done these are too porous and dry too quick
", particularly in the atmosphere of sitting
room, where the DIR is necessarily much drier
than in the greenhouse 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 to two
inches for the soil into which the seeds are to
lbe sown, are convenient or 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
sufficiently to allow the water to escape when
given in excess. Almost any good soil will
suit, which, for convenience, had better be
procured from 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 a covering of soil equal to the
size of the seed.
When covered, water gently with a fine
rose watering pot this one watering will usu-
ally be sufficient until the seeds come up; in
any case, the soil should not be again water
ed until, by its light color, it shows indca
ton of being dry. Although seeds will ger
inmate in the dark, the moment that they
break the surface of tho soil they should be
placed in the lightest possible place.
The temperature best suited to the germi-
nation of nearly all seeds is about Coz at night
with 700 during the day. After the seeds
have started to make the rough leaves, they
should be replanted 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 tho
middle to the end of May.
1t is very important to get the proper kinds
of flower seeds, because there are hundreds
of varieties offered in the sediments lists that
it would be useless for the amateur to at
tempt to cultivate For want of discrimiua-
ton in selection, much disappointment en-
sues. The kinds recommended to give the
most general satisfaction are Asters 10 variety,
balsams (camellia fowered), candy tuft in va
riety, cockscombs, chrysanthemum, tri-color,
coleus, convolvulus, cypress vine, geranums
marigold (gold-striped), mignonnette, pyram-
idal and spiral, pansy in variety, Phlox drum
mondii, petunias, single and double, stocks
verbenas, and zinnia.
Another plan, very satisfactory with anna
teur gardeners raising flowers, is to purchase
very smah 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 in
to pots a size larger, and can be kept in the
sitting-room where there ia plenty of light.
By the time of the planting out in May they
will have grown to be large and fine plants.
They will require but little care. The kinds
of plants best suited for summer Towering
that can be safely grown in the sitting room
are begonias, chrysanthemums, carnations,
geraniums of all kinds, fuchsias, heliotrope,
and monthly roses. There are many others,
of course, but these are the simplest and such
as will be most satisfactory.