SEEDING THE FLATS 125 



For my part I prefer a strawberry box. The wide cracks 

 at the corners allow drainage, and the bottom allows the 

 box to be moved freely. Then when it is time to set the 

 plant out of doors, the bottom of the box can be cut away, 

 and the roots allowed to strike deep into the ground. 



Seeds of the squashes may be covered as deep as a quarter 

 or half of an inch. Make a little hole with the finger, put 

 in the seed, with the point down, and cover with earth. Or 

 thrust the seed straight down into the soil for the distance 

 of its own length, and fill with earth the hole that the fingers 

 have made. Plant three near the center of each box, an 

 inch from each other. Label, and then treat like the other 

 flats. 



If the flats have been seeded soon after watering, they will 

 not need to be watered for some time. But if from the ap- 

 pearance of the soil they are too dry (we can tell by the 

 color, or the feel), they should be watered again. Now that 

 the seeds are in, the watering should be especially careful. 

 Use if you must a watering-pot with very small holes, hold- 

 ing it close to the flat. Better still, lay cloth (sacking or a 

 double thickness of cheese-cloth will do) over the earth be- 

 fore watering. Best of all is to set the flat in a pan of water, 

 allowing this to seep up from below. 



When the flat is thoroughly watered, you will see the 

 moisture shining on the surface. If you touch the soil 

 with your finger, a little puddle quickly gathers. Now set 

 the flat away to drain. Put it in another pan, or have sand 

 strewed over your shelf or table to catch the moisture. 



The seeds now want two things besides moisture : dark- 

 ness and heat. Darkness is given by the covering of soil; 

 but we may make the flat darker still, and at the same time 

 prevent the surface from drying, by putting a little board 

 over the flat. This will do very well if we get our heat 



