The Garden Under Glass

274 THE GARDEN UNDER GLASS ones. Personally, I like to prick off most young plants as soon as they can be håndled, without waiting for the rough leaf to appear, though this advice would not be safe for those of abnormally slow growth. It applies, however, to most half-hardy annuals and to most vegetables which are started under glass. Another item worth mentioning is that no stimulants, either in the water or the soil, should be given to very young plants, whether raised from seeds or cuttings. This would almost equal in folly the giving of flesh meat to infants. Hence we may sum up the advice relative to the care of young plants by saying that they ought to be closely attended to in every matter, and when any operation is needed it should not be delayed. Until the plant has both a good top growth and a well-finished root system, it cannot safely be neglected in the smallest degree. The reward of good attention is strong, healthy, robust growth, capable of carrying the plant safely through the various and inevitable vicissitudes of its life. Pricking Out Seedlings For by far the majority of such seeds as are used for making the flower garden beautiful, and the vegetable plot useful, pricking out is needed ; for it is impossible to sow them in such a way as to leave the resulting plants a suit-able distance apart and at the same time ensure economy and success. Pricking out, moreover, is a work which cannot be delayed. If we are to have sturdy, bushy plants, we must treat them well in their young stages. To allow the seedlings to lengthen in the stem is to court failure in several ways, for the growth becomes thin and scarcely self-supporting, while in the endeavour to get them to