Year: 1872




With Illustration, from his "F1oral Guid" for


1879;
SowING THE SEEps-Annual flowers.
or such as are grown from seeds, are the
most popular and especially appropriate
tor young people or those Of little ex-
perience and limited means. Others |
may fill up their flower beds with plants
from the green house, ready grown or in
bloom /; but these do not afford half the
pleasureable 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-
tion till the opening blossoms appeared.
When, where and how to sow the
seeds are points of some difficulty with
the novice in Horticulture, but are all ex-
planned in the books and catalogues. |
Most of the varities bear transplanting
well, and may advantageously be shown |
early in hot-bed or in a box of earth in |
the kitchen. Others should be sown
where the plants are to remain-and in
fact nearly all will succeed well in this
way, if early blooming is not special
object. Those classed in the catalogues
do /C"UJ OIto Oe SOWU quite ear
ly in the spring-the haJfhardy a week
or two later, or about complaining time,
and the tender ones little later still, if
not started in hot-bed. The principal
care required in sowing is to avoid cover
ing the seeds too deeply, and to shade
the smaller kinds so that the hot sun
shall not dry the surface and destroy
them while vrgetating. This latter is
particularly necessary in our southwest
crn climate, where hot sunshine and dry.
ing winds are quite frequent in. spring as
well as in summer
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,
to prevent them from being blown off
If gentle rains occur the coverings may
be removed for the time, but il heavy
shower is anticipated leave them on, as
it would otherwise beat the surface too
hard. After four or FIVE days, begin to
look for the young plants to appear, and
soon as visible remove The covering, but
if hot sunny weather give partial shade
for few days laying little fine bush
over the spots, or few sticks ss-wise,
and be careful 20 give water if dry
weather. Thin out the plants if SO thick
as to crowd each other before large
enough to transplant.


TRANsPLANTING.-Ass soon as all dan
ger from froslS is over and the plants are
large enough to handle, transplanting
should be done. The best implement
for this purpose is small planting
trowel, sold at most hardware stores.
Choose cloudy day, or do the work
evenings. The plants can generally be
taken mp two or three together with a
little ball of earth, and removed without
breaking the roots Be sure and give
the plants room enough to grow, accord
ing to their size and habits, water freely
when set, and if delicate sorts or the
roots much disturbed, give partial shade
for few days, by sticking bit OF shin
gle on the south side, or fastening paper
or rnbarb leave over the plants.


The sub-tropical style of fower-beds
is the very latest fashion in Horticulture.
1t is more natural and snowy than the
ribbon style, described in our former
article, and requires more skill and knowl-
edge Of plants for its effective practice.
But with little study, and the aid of
hot-bed for starting the plants, there
need be no fear in making a beginning !;
then year or two OF experiment will
give pleasure and success.


This style is based upon the principle
that there is much of beauty in the form
and expression OF plant and foliage, as
we'll as in the mere blossom and as the
finest examples of this kind ot beauty
are seen in sub-tropical plants and
scenery, this title has been adopted for
this style of fiowerbeds. A handsome
book devoted to the subject has been
published in England, by a popular
writer on Horticulture.


As the plants suited for this style are
mostly OF tall growth, and some of them
little course when inspected, the loca-
tion of the beds should not be too near
the dwelling or the front walk but
along the side of the lawn or
carriage-road, and where they will not
obstruct any desirable view. The soil
should be a little moist, rather than dry,
and made quite deep and rich. The ad.
dtion of some fine black muck or wood
earth will be an advantage.


Of the suitable plants that can be raised
from seed, the Cannas deserve the first
place. Although perennial, the plants
make fine show il earted early
in hot-bed. Then the Ricinus is a
splendid sub-tropical plant-some of the
varieties growing or 10 feet in height
In fact bed Of Cappas alone, with