mould, well mixed. Press down firmly with a smooth piece of 

 wood. Sprinkle thoroughly with boiling water to kill ants and 

 other pests, and when cool sprinkle the seeds on the flat sur- 

 face. Cover very lightly with finely sifted soil, but see that all 

 seeds are covered, then press down again firmly. The greatest 

 mistake is to cover the seeds too deeply. I have seen people 

 sowing seeds and covering them an inch and a half deep. These 

 seeds could never get through, and the planters were wondering 

 why they did not come up. The seed books say that seeds should 

 be covered only five times the diameter of the seeds, and I find a 

 light covering more successful than a heavier. In sowing some 

 of the very fine seeds I smooth out the soil carefully, spread a 

 sheet of white tissue paper on the soil, and sprinkle the seeds 

 on the paper, putting another sheet of tissue paper on top, and 

 a slight covering of very fine soil over this. The paper below 

 prevents the seeds sinking too deeply into the soil, and the top 

 sheet prevents the seeds being disturbed wdiile they are sending 

 out their tiny roots. It is very important that seeds, while germ- 

 inating, should not be disturbed, and as long as the soil keeps 

 moist, avoid watering, but if the soil becomes dry, I use a fine 

 sprayer, such as florists use or a tin one that is used to spray 

 insects. One that makes a mist is best. Some sow seeds in 

 shallow flower pots and place these in a saucer with water so the 

 soil is kept moist from below by the water in the saucer. I also 

 cover the seed boxes with cotton frames to keep from the sun. 

 This helps to keep the soil moist, for if the sun dries out the 

 surface of the soil, in all probability, the seeds will be killed. 

 When the young plants are too crowded in the boxes, prick them 

 out and plant in other boxes till ready to transplant into the 

 garden. I generally change when the young plant has four 

 leaves, and transplant later, when, say two inches high, but only 

 experience can tell you how to treat each individual plant. Some 

 are delicate and some are robust. Seedlings like Shirley Poppies, 

 are very hard to transplant and should be sown where they 

 are to be grown. 



Soil. To have a good garden, you must thoroughly dig and 

 turn over the soil to the depth of at least two feet. Most of my 

 garden has been trenched to the depth of three feet. Also the 

 soil must be pulverized and aired by being thoroughly raked. In 

 this climate and soil, fertilizer is an absolute necessity in the 

 gardens, as it is in the cane field. I see gardens in this city 

 that do not seem to have been fertilized for years, and no wonder 

 plants are stunted and hard to grow. Every fall, I dig my gar- 

 den deeply, and give it a generous amount of old, rotted cow 

 manure or horse manure. I generally have my supply on hand 

 six months before using it. If commercial fertilizer is to be 

 used to supplement the manure it must be applied with judgment, 

 for disastrous results will follow excessive applications. I keep 

 a little bone meal and lime for my personal use on the soil, but 

 never entrust it to any employee. 



