WINTER FLOWERING STOCKS.

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 72, 26 March 1931, Page 23

WINTER FLOWERING STOCKS.

Winter-flowering, stocks when weN .grown are always popular, especially if a good strain is grown, it is a mistake usually to reply upon homo-raised seed, the resulting plants frequently producing blooms of no certaiu'Lcolour owing to cross-fertilisation ' byv bees. It is wiser to 'procure a packet of good seed from a reliable source and raise these in an open-air seed bed. The seed germinates very quickly-—in a week, or ten days, provided the seed bQd,:;i's:. : ;not. allowed to ; get.,dry—and -the; -plants 'should be kept,'growing as fast as ■possible. As soon as they bavd : mado their second pair of leaves :.they should: be pricked''put, and if the,-, weather.;is dry they sliquldbc puddled ,:l.nV^.: 'sopui; as they have- recovered fronlj.tbo jmqVe/ ana haW'started into fresh:^growth, weak doses of'nitrate of soda. D'uee, a fortnight,, will push them along wbnderfully. The plants do not want too much wot; the ground must bo welldrajued, otherwise they will develop "coflaV;rot" and':the .erop;'b'e' lost.- when planting . out it is advisable to ; take the seedlings as they:come, hot to pick tho largest. If will frequently be found that the most desirable colours are uol quite so vigorous as the others, while :it is claimed that tbc, v doubies are slower in coming away than the singles. "Beauty 6t, NicV-'ris..the best type'of stock'lor :wi]it'er'"'flowering. They may be had in almost all shades of colouring, and, being of branching habit, thoy are well suited .for picking.Stocks are liable to be : attacked by "fly" when grown in hot'weather. To safeguard the plants they should be sprayed with arsenate of lead while still quite tiny, before they are ...pricked out of the seed beds, as once attacked it is extremely difficult to rid them of the posts, which very soon entirely denude them of foliage. • : ■ ICELAND POPPIES. One of the most reliable plants for winter-flowering is the Iceland poppy. If tho plants can bo raised during the hot weather and bedded out early they commence to flower in the first cold weeks. Plants started then wiy continue to flower until early summer, and are much less liable to be attacked by mildew. The seed is not so easy to germinate during dry weather^ remaining dormant in the soil. It is necessary to sow very shallow. In fact, the seed is so fine that it requires practically no covering, hence the difficulty in. getting it to germinate during the hot summer months. It is easier to raise the seedlings in boxes, as then the state of the soil can be regulated. If tho seed bods have to be in the open, a shady place should be chosen, and.the beds covered with a piece of scrim, which should be kept moist. If the soil is allowed to become dry i'or oven a few hours from tin) time the seed is sown until the seedlings arc well up, tho results will bo unsatisfactory. Poppy seed is very small, and even with the greatest care in sowing the seedlings arc usually very crowded. It' the seed is mixed with some sand or iino dry soil, it is possible to so/, thinner and more evenly. The seedI lings should be pricked out when large I enough to 2iii apart in bods of good I soil. It is desirable to push the plants along as fast as possible, so that they may be planted out and become established before cold weather sets in. When large enough tho plants should be lifted from tho nursery beds with a trowel and planted without disturbance to tho roots. , These poppies have been greatly improved of late years both in tho matter of size, length, and strength of stalk, and colour range. . Tho Sunbeam hybrids include a wide range of shades guile distinct from the older well-known white, yellow, and orange. The plants are thoroughly hardy; no amount of wet or cold seems to trouble them, and from tho time the first flower appears they continue to bloom profusely until destroyed by hot weather. If it is possible to raise the seed iv the open ground by broadcasting the seed, the resulting plants will come into flower much earlier than those which are transplanted. Though the improved varieties are perennial, they are better treated as annuals, as they seldom do so well after the first season. They are very subject to mildew attacks in the hot weather, and this necessarily weakens their constitution. HARVESTING SEEDS. Although home-saved seeds of many plants, both flowers and vegetables, are seldom satisfactory, there are some which may be utilised with quite good results. If the seed is gathered from any and every plant in a haphazard nuiuncr, however, the results must be more or less disappointing. A. very largo proportion of flowers will not come true, to type or colour unless the plants are covered to prevent bees or other insects from pollinating them. Such must be liantl-l'prtilisod.il: .they are lo remain true, This fact may be ob-

served iv many of the common annuals, such as larkspurs, antirrhinums, pansies, etc. If it is decided to- save seeds of any plants, only those showing distinct advantages, either in colour, size, or some other characteristic, should be chosen for the purpose. . . Plants showing any tendency :to disease or. weakly constitution should be discarded, the offspring of such plants invariably inheriting all the bad qualities, of the parent.. In short, it should be- the aim at all times to improv.o the strain of whatever plant is. to be propagated and to eliminate any which fail to come up to standard.' Seed-pods should be thoroughly ripe and dry when gathered, and should be placed in thin paper bags and hung up in a warm, dry place—a sunuy window is very suitable—for a few.days before the seods are removed ' from the pods. Finally place iD packets and label clearly.