SEED SOWING 69 



is passed over them, and the work is done." Those who 

 have practiced this method know it gives most excellent 

 results. In my own practice, in sowing seed in dry weather, 

 even with a seed drill that has a wheel for firming the soil, 

 I have frequently, and to advantage, walked the rows with 

 the heel of one foot close to and in front of the toe of the 

 other, pressing down on the row. 



Thinning. It is generally best to sow the seed of most 

 garden vegetables much more thickly than the plants 

 should stand when mature. This is done to make sure of hav- 

 ing enough plants to stock the land, and it is a good practice. 

 It is important, also, to let every young plant in the garden 

 have room enough for perfect development, and this can 

 only be secured, where thick seeding is practiced, by thin- 

 ning out. It is a very general fault of beginners in garden- 

 ing that they try to grow too many plants on their.land. This 

 is a common mistake and is no better in result than permit- 

 ting weeds to grow. Every plant in excess of what can 

 properly mature on the land is in its effect a weed and should 

 be treated as such. 



In the home garden, when the thinnings are valuable, 

 as in the case of beets, lettuce, etc., the work of thinning need 

 not be done all at once but as the plants need room. In the 

 market garden it is best to thin out the full distance at one 

 time. Do not allow the seedlings to get drawn and spindling 

 before thinning, but do it while they are young and before 

 they crowd one another. The proper distances between 

 plants seem very large when the plants are small, but it 

 must be remembered that later on anything less than the 

 proper distance injures the crop. One must have deter- 

 mination enough to throw away many nice plants in 

 order to make room for those that are to mature. It is 

 better to give too much than too little room to plants. 



