CHAPTER XVIII 

 THE SEEDLINGS, INDOORS 



WE are watching for the appearance of our seedlings, and 

 now the dates written on our labels will keep us from undue 

 worry. Some seeds sprout much quicker than others. 

 Radish is quicker than most vegetables, requiring frequently 

 but three days. Do not be troubled, however, unless they 

 do not appear for a week. On the other hand, you need not 

 expect to see your celery seedlings for ten days, while they 

 may not raise their heads for twenty. Flower seeds vary 

 quite as widely as this. If you had soaked them first, they 

 would have "come" the quicker. 



In any case, the time is likely to seem too long. Yet at 

 last we see the tiny irregular crack appearing along the line 

 of the drill, and soon the seedlings begin to show. They 

 come in odd forms : the onion thrusts forth an elbow, the 

 tomato two little leaves, the carrot tiny spears like blades 

 of grass. Other seedlings take other forms but at any 

 rate, here they are, and now we must care for them. 



As soon as the first crack in the soil appears, the cover 

 should be taken from the flat, and the flat brought to the 

 light. If left in the dark, the seedlings will be pale and 

 spindly, reaching eagerly toward the cracks where light 

 enters. If left covered with glass, the tropical climate, so 

 good for the sprouting of the seeds, is very likely to cause 

 the little plants to be soft and feeble. 



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