Rural School Leaflet 1073 



In planning a garden it is very important that vegetables of a tall 

 habit of growth should be so placed that they will not shade the vege- 

 tables having a low habit of growth. This will give all the plants some 

 sunlight. 



Seeds. — After the plan is drawn on paper the young gardener must 

 decide how much seed will be needed. The planting-table will help in 

 this. It has a list, or column, of the amount of seed required for 100 

 lineal feet. If the row in the garden is only 50 feet long, the seed required 

 will be one half the amount named in the table. It is always best to 

 order more seed than is actually required. 



When the quantity of seed is known it should be ordered from a reliable 

 seed house. Consult a neighbor who has a successful garden. 



Testing seed. — Choose ten average seeds of one variety. Provide a 

 box eighteen inches long, twelve inches wide, and at least two inches 

 deep, and fill it with good garden soil. Make shallow lines in the soil 

 one inch apart, of a depth about two to four times the diameter of the 

 seed to be planted; place the ten seeds that you have chosen in the first 

 of these shallow marks, or furrows. Mark the box at the end of the row 

 on the wood, so that you will know the variety of seed that is planted in 

 that row. Choose ten more seeds of another variety and plant them in 

 the second row. Continue in this way until all the varieties of seed bought 

 have ten samples planted in the box. Cover the seed and the rows with 

 soil and press the soil firmly with the palms of your hands. Sprinkle 

 about a pint of water over the soil and place the box near the stove or in 

 a sunny window where it will have a fair amount of heat. Water the 

 soil during the next two weeks. Mark on paper the date of planting the 

 seed, and each day record the number of plants that show above the soil. 

 If at the end of two weeks nine of the ten seeds in row one have shown 

 above ground and are still healthy and green, the percentage of growth 

 will be ninety; if eight, eighty; if six, sixty. If the test shows less than 

 sixty per cent, more seed will have to be used in the actual planting of 

 the garden in order to obtain the number of plants desired. 



The above is the most valuable test of seeds, as it shows not only those 

 seeds that will sprout well, but also those that under fair conditions will 

 grow in the garden. Seeds that show a high percentage in this test will 

 be profitable to plant. 



Location. — If father or mother will give you your choice of a place for 

 your garden, choose a piece of land that has been under cultivation for 

 two or three years. If this land slopes slightly toward the south and is 

 a loamy, not clayey, soil, it will answer your purpose. If the land is 

 near the hen-yard it will be well to fence the garden or to plan to keep 

 the hens in their yard. 



