Essentials in Gardening n 



order to aid in bursting the pods open, and there 

 must be plenty of fresh air to supply carbonic acid, 

 on which so much depends. 



The depth at which seeds should be planted 

 varies with the size of the seed. A very fine seed 

 may be sown broadcast and no covering of earth 

 whatever applied, all that is necessary being to 

 press the earth down flat and firm with some flat 

 surface, preferably a board. Larger seed will 

 require a trench or a sprinkling of earth scattered 

 over them, while the very large seeds, such as 

 nasturtiums, moonflowers, and others of the same 

 size, may be placed on the surface of well-prepared 

 soil and gently pushed down into the earth with the 

 flat end of a lead pencil, reaching a depth of two or 

 three times the diameter of the seed. Absolutely 

 fresh seed should always be procured if possible, as 

 a very small percentage of seed has vigorous 

 life after the first year and some will not even 

 germinate. The seed bed should be kept moist, 

 but never wet, otherwise the seed will rot before 

 they can germinate, or if they have germinated 

 the young seedlings will drop off. If the earth is 

 allowed to become dry and hard, then wet and 

 soft alternately, only a dismal failure will confront 

 the gardener at the end of the period set for seed 

 germination. 



