752 



Journal of Agriculture. 



[lo Dec, 1910. 



the beds over the top of which cheese cloth or hessian sewn together is 

 stretched after the seed is pLanted. This system is cheap. The covering 

 is easily and quickly constructed, and saves much time and trouble as 

 compared with other systems in watering and dealing with insect pests. 

 A more uniform temperature is preserved and the loss of water by evapora- 

 tion is minimised. The cover should be removed a few days before trans- 

 planting in order to harden the plants. Choose a dull day on which to 

 first expose the plants. 



Many growers simply dig over the soil and sow the seed on the sur- 

 face, covering with clean straw or grass to a depth of about half-an-inch 

 (No. 3) From these beds good hardy plants are raised, but they are 

 .'^:ubject to winds and all changes of the weather, which tends to weaken 

 them under certain conditions, and insect pests have free access to them. 

 They are also slower in growing, which means more weeding. 



3. PRIMITIVE SEED BED. 



The amount of seed to be sown is about a tablespoonful to 50 square 

 yards. The seed is .so small that it is necessary to mix it with say twenty 

 times its own bulk of sifted wood a.shes, or dry sand, gypsum, or bone- 

 meal, and sow backwards and forwards over the finely prepared surface 

 until the quantity is exhausted. The colour of the sand, meal, or ash will 

 give a fair idea as to evenness. Do not rake in as the seed will not germi- 

 nate if buried ; but on very sandy soils in a dry climate lightly brush the 

 surface and water well. Then, when dry enough, press down close with 

 a board or the back of a spade and put on the cover previously men- 

 tioned. In stiffer soils watering will often be sufficient, but pressure on 

 the surface, will generally assist the .seed by closing the .soil round it, and 

 bringing the moisture right to the surface which is essential during the 

 early stages of growth — a critical time with the plant. The soil should 

 be kept moist, but not too wet, and all weeds must be removed as soon as 

 they can be handled. If the plants are too thick in the beds they will be 



