128 THE BEGINNER'S GARDEN BOOK 



And now that the plants are up, we may well allow the 

 surface of the soil, which we have carefully kept moist, to 

 dry out a little. This is because of a disease which florists 

 all dread. It is called "damping-off," and cuts down the 

 little plants suddenly. Too much moisture causes it, or 

 crowding 'and here is one reason why I advised so much 

 space for each seed. So let the surface dry a little; and 

 then, that it may not dry too much, make a mulch by scratch- 

 ing the dry soil. If you wish to do this quickly, an old 

 table fork will serve ; but the work may be done with the 

 sharp end of the seed-trowel. And in case you have not 

 been able to plant in sand, do not be alarmed when the 

 surface now looks dusty. If you have done the work 

 properly, on drawing the dust away the moist soil will 

 quickly show. 



We must, however, water the soil at proper times. This 

 depends on the quickness with which our particular mixture 

 of earth will dry out; and it depends as well on the size 

 and depth of the flats. Speaking generally, I should say 

 that every other day is often enough to water. But every 

 gardener will have to find this out for himself with this 

 warning, that the larger the plants grow, the oftener will 

 water have to be given. 



To watch the growth is a great pleasure. The seed- 

 leaves, which first appear, turn green, spread out, and pro- 

 duce at their joining a little knob which soon proves to be 

 the beginning of the stem, with its first pair of true leaves. 

 Once every few days we turn the flats half round so that the 

 plants shall not grow toward the sun. The stem shoots up, 

 another pair of leaves appears, and we become aware that 

 the little plants are beginning to crowd. If in the beginning 

 we were generous with our seed, or, being doubtful of its 

 strength, sowed very thickly, so that the " stand" of plants 



