240 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



The preparation of the seed should commence about a week before 

 vou wish to plant in the nusery, and may be accomplished in the follow- 

 ing manner : 



First, soak the seeds five or six hours in water as warm as you could 

 hold your hand in comfortably, then place them in an open vessel which 

 \v\]\ allow all the water to pass off freely. Place them out in the sun in 

 the day, and by the stove at night — if it should be cool. Keep the seeds- 

 constantly warm and moist, by occasionally pouring warm w^ater over 

 them. Spread something over them to prevent the top from becoming 

 tlry. Watch them closely, and when you see the mass beginning to " pip," 

 they are ready to plant. 



In selecting your ground for a nursery, the following considerations- 

 are most prominent: The ground should be warm and dry, and of that 

 active, mellow character which will not be " run together " by the rains 

 which may chance to fall before the plants are up. It should also be free 

 from weeds, as the young plants are very tender and easily overrun by 

 vegetatioti of a more rank growth. It should also be selected w ith a view 

 to its freedom from moles, as they are very damaging to the plants — sO' 

 much so that they must be destroyed if they make their appearance. The 

 preparation of the ground should be most thorough. To accomplish 

 tliis, plow deeply, that any over charge of water may quickly pass below 

 the seed, and that t)ie seeds of noxious weeds may be covered so deeply 

 as not to vegetate readily. Hanow well, that the groimd may be thor- 

 oughly pulverized, and loll, that all the vacuums in the surface may be 

 filled up, thereby preventing the ravages of di'ying winds in case of drouth. 

 When this is done, take your corn-marker and mark out the ground the- 

 width you would for corn. If you intend cultivating with a horse, this 

 will be a convenient width. If you wish to cultivate by hand, you can 

 go over the ground again, with the same instrument, and divide rows,, 

 which will afford ample room for hand cultivation. As soon as the 

 ground is marked out, and while the furrows are yet fresh and moist, die 

 seeds should be planted, which may be done by hand, drilling in from 

 two dozen to three dozen seeds to the foot. The covering may be very- 

 well done with a common garden rake, drawing in the mellow soil and 

 removing the clods and trash. Nothing is now to be done until the plants 

 are nearly ready to come through the ground, at which time much can be 

 accomplished by going over the rows again with a rake, by which means 

 you break any crust which may have formed, and destroy any weeds 

 which may be coming in advance of the plants. From this time, close 

 attention will be necessary. The horse cultivator, by frequent use, will 

 do most of the work, but the hoe and even the hand-pulling of the weeds 

 may be necessary. The soil must be kept stirred and the weeds must be 

 kept down. 



TIME OF PLANTING. 



The seeds should not be planted imtil all danger of frost is past. In 

 fact the ground should be allowed to become quite warm, as our success, 

 oflen depends upon getting the plants up quickly. 



