Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: spores keep best in a dry warm position; after they are properly dried they may be shut up in a close tin box. Sowing Spores The first thing is the preparation of the pots. The old method of filling them half full of drainage is a wrong one! A larger surface of soil will retain the moisture better. In the market-nurseries no drainage is used, the pots being filled with good loam, to within about an inch of the top. A thorough soaking with water is then given. After this a slight surfacing of powdered charcoal and crock dust, which should be shaken through a fine sieve, is given. Another watering may then be given. The pots will then be ready for sowing the spores. The most important matter regarding the sowing is to avoid being too liberal with the spores. I have found many failures occur through sowing too thickly. Another point is that where several sorts are to be sown at the same time, care should be taken that the spores which are being sown cannot float on to the pots that are to be used for other sorts. And after sowing one variety, a duster should be used to cleanse the hands and any part where the spores may have settled. When sown, the pots may be placed in a close warm frame, each being put in a saucer of water; or they may be placed in any convenient position where they get light without the direct rays of the sun coming on them, and each pot covered with a piece of glass. When this is done the glass should be reversed every morning to avoid the condensed moisture dripping on to the surface. No surface watering should be given after the spores are sown. Light is an essential, and I have found that those in the open germinate better than others which have been in a close frame where it has been necessary to cover to keep the sun off. SCOLOPENDRIUM VULGARE Va…
