Summer Meeting. 17 



need planting you will have loose, rich material for them to germinate 

 in ; it will need lots of water of course, but will never crust over the top 

 or harden. 



If you prepare your boxes or old pans right, nearly every seed will 

 grow that has a live germ in it. 



I have the best success with boxes about the size layer raisins come 

 in, but like them a little shorter as they are more convenient to water. 

 1 bore two holes with a bit that is about the size of a lead pencil (if the 

 holes are too large the water rushes in too fast) one or two inches from 

 the bottom on each side and two or three in the bottom. ISTow go to 

 the prepared heap for earth, fill them full, press that down well, sift 

 through a piece of wire screen or old colander earth to refill it, press 

 lightly and evenly this time, sow the seeds in rows to be able to distin- 

 guish the young plants from weeds, cover evenly as possible with sifted 

 dirt, press down with a piece of pasteboard, place the box in a tub with 

 enough tepid water in it to reach nearly to the top of the boxes, let them 

 stay till moist all over the top; take out and place them so they can have 

 good drainage. Put in (there I will have to let the secret out) your 

 brooder if you have a combined incubator and brooder, if not make a 

 bottomless box to fit the top of incubator with lid reaching across the 

 top; be sure to fix it so air can get in. Let them stay till you can see 

 their necks or shoots just ready to push through the earth, then take 

 the box to a warm window every day, putting them back at night. If 

 you have no incubator, a stovepipe shelf or back part of cook stove after 

 the fire begins to die down is a great help in starting early plants. 

 Always water by placing them in the water till the young plants are well 

 above ground, and whatever artificial heat you give, be sure it is 

 bottom heat. When the plants are up nicely I commence cultivating 

 them by using a table fork and giving shower baths with a fine sprinkler 

 or the hand, but still keep up a tub bath as often as necessary. I prefer 

 to start most plants in boxes as they are so much easier protected from 

 beating rains and too strong sunshine. Of course artificial heat is only 

 needed for the early plants and those of us that can't have greenhouse 

 have to tax our ingenuity to reach the much coveted end. I think if we 

 have our own housework to do we had better try to select a few kinds 



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