hile the
days are still short and the sun low, they will require very little
water, and it should be applied only on bright mornings. In autumn and
late spring, especially the latter, they will require more, and if the
boxes dry out quickly, you should apply it toward evening. In either
case, do not water until the soil is beginning to dry on the surface,
and then water thoroughly, or until the soil will not readily absorb
more. If you will take the pains, and have the facilities for doing it,
by far the best way to keep the seed boxes supplied with moisture is to
place them, when dry, in an inch or so of water (as described for seed
sowing) and let them soak up what they need, or until the surface of the
soil becomes moist. This does the job more evenly and thoroughly than it
can be done from the surface, and is also a safeguard against damping
off, that dreaded disease of seedlings which is likely to carry away
your whole sowing in one day--a decaying of the stem just at or below
the soil.

From the time the seedlings come up they should be given abundance of
light, and all the air possible while maintaining the required
temperature. It will be possible, except on very cold dark days, to give
them fresh air. Never, however, let a draft of air more than a few
degrees colder than the room in which they are blow directly upon them.

The secret of growing the little plants until they are ready for their
first shift is not so much in the amount of care given, as in its
_regularity_. Tend them every day--it will take only a few minutes time.
When the second true leaf appears they will be ready for their first
change, which is described in Chapter VI.

[Illustration: A new scheme of sub-irrigation for flats. Some porous
material such as sphagnum moss or excelsior (as here) is put on the open
bottom and the flat watered by allowing it to stand in a sink or tub for
a few minutes]

[Illustration: Cuttings ready for sand; the leaves have been clipped
back. From left to right, heliotrope, geranium, "patience plant"]

[Illustration: Geranium cuttings ready to pot. Notice the roots, which
should not be allowed to grow more than half or three-quarters of an
inch long before potting]

CHAPTER V

STARTING PLANTS FROM CUTTINGS

While many plants are best started from seed, as described in the
preceding chapter, there are many which cannot be so reproduced;
especially named varieties which will not come true from seeds