STARTING PLANTS 145 



and poor root development, while the opposite of this is 

 desirable in the starting of all classes of plants. This 

 tendency, however, is not marked, if proper moisture and 

 temperature conditions are maintained. See Chapter V 

 for details of soil preparation. 



Seed sowing. The time of sowing should be deter- 

 mined with extreme care. This will depend to some 

 extent on the variety selected, for some varieties require 

 more time to mature than others. Seasonal conditions, 

 with special reference to the amount of sunshine and the 

 rate of growth depending thereon, should also have con- 

 sideration. But the most important factor is the demand 

 of the market to be supplied. When will it pay the best 

 prices for the various crops and when can they be grown 

 most profitably, are questions which should be answered 

 if possible before the seed is sown. 



Experience will soon teach the greenhouse gardener 

 when each sowing should be made, so that he may have 

 the seedlings ready for transplanting at the proper time. 

 Experience will also enable him to determine rather 

 definitely the quantity of seed to sow each time in order 

 to produce the required number of plants. There should 

 be no uncertainty, however, about this matter. It is often 

 difficult, if not impossible, to make up the shortage by 

 purchasing plants that may introduce insect or disease 

 parasites. The safe policy is to sow an ample quantity 

 of seed, even if thousands of plants must be discarded. 

 With a larger number of plants than is actually needed, 

 only the strongest may be used, and this will count for 

 uniformity in size of plants during the entire period of 

 growth. 



The soil should be fairly moist before the seeds are 

 sown. This is important for two reasons : First, the soil 

 works better; second, it receives water more rapidly, and 

 the seeds are not so likely to be washed out of the ground 

 by watering. 



