Seed 133 



For successful germination of seed, the air temper- 

 ature should be about 60 degrees Fahrenheit and 

 the soil temperature from 65 degrees to 70 

 degrees. 



Seed obtained from plants which were planted 

 before the ground was thoroughly warmed in the 

 spring will produce sickly, puny plants. 



To have the seed garden well prepared will 

 influence the garden very much indeed. A poorly 

 prepared seed bed means a failure from the begin- 

 ning. The soil should be pulverized by cultivating 

 with a fork, if a small garden, or by spading and 

 plowing if a large tract is under cultivation. 



In order to have proper drainage, the seed bed 

 should be a trifle higher than the ground around it. 

 This can be easily accomplished by loosening the 

 earth and piling it not far from the spaces where 

 it came but on places that have not been used. 



Large gardens should have the soil thoroughly 

 harrowed and raked after spading or plowing and 

 the soil should not be allowed to dry out after 

 harrowing it. The lumps will break up easily 

 while the soil is still moist. A seed bed lacking in 

 moisture and full of lumps will produce a poor 

 crop. 



