268 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Perhaps I had better describe the proper way to prepare the 

 soil, sow the seed and cultivate the plants through the first year, the 

 most critical time in their existence. The ground for a good seed 

 bed should be ploughed or spaded six to ten inches deep (the latter 

 preferable) when the soil is dry enough to crumble into small par- 

 ticles ; then harrowed, or, as the western man would say, dragged, 

 very fine and level. Stretch a line where seed is to be sown, use 

 a fine toothed steel rake for opening the trench or row, one to 

 two inches deep, depending on the size of seed sown, drawing 

 away the soil just enough to leave it for covering the seed when 

 sown. After covering, tamp the soil over the seed with the head 

 of the rake, enough to make it firm. When sowing the seed mix 

 a small quantity of radish seed with it, and this will come up before 

 the fruit seed makes its appearance above ground. When the rad- 

 ishes show the rows, use the garden rake to break the surface of 

 the soil and kill small weeds, growing in the row, thus saving much 

 time in hoeing and hand weeding afterwards. Later cultivate 

 between the rows and stir or loosen the soil near the plants with 

 the garden rake or hoe each week, or oftener if rain intervenes 

 between hoeings. All weeds in the row, large enough to be seen, 

 should be pulled at once, that the plants may have full possession of 

 the ground. Do not attempt to grow a crop of weeds and cultivated 

 plants at the tame time, for if you do the weeds are sure to be the 

 best crop and the plants will be a failure or only a partial success. 



The time at which the young and tender seedlings appear above 

 the surface of the ground is a very critical period. For some 

 reason, if certain weather conditions prevail the young seedlings 

 will damp off and die (dusting with air-slacked lime or dry wood 

 ashes is, to some extent, a preventive). The cut worms also come 

 in for their share of the new and tender plants, which may be 

 guarded against by preparing a tempting bait made from one pound 

 of paris green and one hundred pounds of wheat bran mixed, and 

 wet with sweetened water enough to make the mixture have a lively, 

 crawley appearance. This strewn or sifted alongside of the plants 

 will nearly always destroy them. 



Hoeing and cultivating should be kept up till about August twen- 

 tieth, thus giving ample time for the plants to harden and ripen up 

 before winter. Just before the ground freezes bend the young 

 seedlings over and cover four inches deep with dirt, for winter 

 protection, and if sweeping winds are likely to blow off the cover- 

 ing of dirt put on a good heavy mulch of coarse manure. Forest 

 tree seedling:s do not necessarily need this covering: as thev are 



