Rural School Leaflkt. 



957 



stones and rubbish should then be raked off with the hand rake, and 

 the ground leveled for sowing seeds. 



2. Sowing the seeds. — It is much better to sow the seed in rows than 

 to sow it broadcast. The seedling can thus be more easily identified, 

 thinning and weeding can be quickly done, and the soil between the 

 rows can be hoed without injury to the seedling plants. 



In planting a garden it is best if possible to have the rows extend 

 north and south. Each row will thus get its share of sunlight. If the 

 rows are east and west, and one or more rows contain tall plants, there 

 is danger of shading the rows in the rear. 



3. Watering the garden. — If it is necessary to water the growing 

 plants, it should be done, if possible, late in the afternoon. If the 

 plants are watered in the morning, the sun causes very rapid evapora- 

 tion, leaving the soil dry, and in heavy soils causing it to bake. Thorough 

 cultivation of the soil or a mulch of either grass or straw will hold the 

 moisture in the soil and lessen the need of water. 



4. Soils. — It is not often that a heavy clay soil will be found. If 

 no other soil is obtainable, drainage, sand, muck, grass, or coal ashes 

 will be beneficial. Clay soil should never be worked when wet. Grav- 

 elly loam, sandy loam, and even clay loam are easily worked, and are 

 the soils generally found to give good results. See the Lesson on Soils, 

 page 104. 



5. Starting plants. — The seeds of all but the more rankly growing 

 plants may be started in the house in March or April, using shallow 

 boxes filled with light soil. A little care is needed to avoid sowing the 

 seeds too early, for if the window conditions are such that the plants 

 grow spindling, they transplant with difficulty. Six weeks before the 

 time to plant out of doors is early enough to sow the seeds in boxes, and 

 even then it is often necessary to transplant into other boxes before the 

 ground is fit to receive the seedlings. F"or the first year it would be well 

 to have the children grow some one thing in-doors, in order to give them 

 a lesson in transplanting. Tomato plants would be good for the first 

 lesson. If flowers are desired, pansies might be started in boxes. 



