lo June. 191 i.] Seeds and Seeding. 403 



SEEDS AND SEEDING. 



L. Macdonald, HorticuUiirist, Dookie Agricultural College. 



There are few, if any, more important operations in the garden or on 

 the farm than the judicious sowing of the seed. On the careful carrying 

 ■out of this work depends, in a great measure, the success or failure of the 

 crop. It has been said by a well-known agricultural writer, that " every 

 young man who intends to be a farmer should put in at least a year in 

 a market garden to learn how to handle small seed's." There is little 

 doubt that gardening gives one a close as.sociation with the requirements 

 demanded of a great variety of seed ; al.so, the tending of plants and seeds 

 presents opportunities of becoming familiar with their likes and dislikes, to 

 an extent that does not obtain on the farm. 



Some of our fodder crops have taken a long time to establish them- 

 selves with the farmers, owing to the requirements of their seed not being 

 understood. Failures have occurred, not through any fault of the seed, 

 or becau.se of the plant's non-adaptability to our conditions, but through 

 a disregard or ignorance of the .seed's .simple requirements. The poor 

 farmer, or careless gardener, is often pione to attribute bad results to 

 defects in the .seed. The latter, doubtless, was a prolific .source of dissatis- 

 faction some years ago, but of late years the standard of seed has been 

 raised con.^iderably. 



Patchy crops, such as one often sees, particularlv with rape and lucerne, 

 with broken drills and lean wastes, are often due more to the defects in the 

 seed bed and .seeding, than to the seed. Accidents beyond our control, such 

 as adver.se climatic conditions, are frequently a factor in the failure of manv 

 crops, but the dire effects of such conditions can often be staved off by 

 judicious tillage and intelligent seedage. 



Xo matter how good or how bad the soil, a well-prepared seed bed, 

 with due consideration for climatic and other conditions, will always en- 

 hance the chance of success. A well-.started plant with its absorbent roots 

 deeply plunged beneath a sheltering mulch, in a well-worked soil, is alwavs 

 more likely to survive and give a better return than one badly sown on 

 haphazard cultivation, where its existence is precarious, its growth fitful, 

 and its life a prey to the blighting action of disease or other adverse con- 

 ditions. 



For the beginner, it is not so e.s.sential to acquire a knowledge of the 

 peculiarities of each species or variety of our farm or garden seeds as it is 

 to understand the principles that govern the healthy germination and 

 growth of .seeds generally. These principles remain practically the same 

 throughout. Modifications may be nece.s.sary at times to suit untoward 

 conditions, but these are more the exception than the rule. 



Hardv and Halk Hardy Skeds. 

 'I'hc seeds in this country an- divided chiefly into two classes: — Hardv 

 and half-hardy .seeds of the garden, or winter and summer crops of the 

 farm. Owing to our genial climate, our classification of plants in respect 

 to har<line.ss is .somewhat different from that adojited in manv European 

 countries, which are subject to more rigorous climatic conditions. Beet and 

 lettuce, classed in Europe as half-hardy, thrive through the winter in mo.-,t 

 places in Australia, and are generally accepted as hardv ; while their 

 fender seetK, such as tomatoes and f ncnnil)ers, are among our half-hardy 

 ones. 



