24 GARDENING INDOORS AND UNDER GLASS 
feather” in the hand. If the sod and mould have 
not already been screened, rub the compost through 
a sieve of not more than quarter-inch mesh — such 
as a coal-ash sifter. This screening will help also 
to incorporate the several ingredients evenly and 
thoroughly. 
While we provided holes in the seed box for 
drainage, it is best to take even further precautions 
in this matter by covering the bottom of the box 
with nearly an inch of coarse material, such as the 
roots and half decayed leaves, screened out of the 
sods and leaf-mould. On the top of this put the pre- 
pared soil, filling the box to within about a quarter 
of an inch of the top, and packing down well into 
the corners and along sides and ends. The box 
should not be filled level full, because in subsequent 
waterings there would be no space to hold the water 
which would run off over the sides instead of soak- 
ing down into the soil. 
The usual way is to fill the boxes and sow the 
seed, and then water the box on the surface, but I 
mention here a method which I have used in my 
own work for two years. When filling the box, set 
it in some place where it may be watered freely, 
such as on the cellar floor, if too cold to work out- 
doors. After putting in the first layer of coarse 
material, give it a thorough soaking and then put 
in about two-thirds of the rest of the soil required 
and give that a thorough watering also. The bal- 
