VIL] WARMTH MOISTURE OXYGEN 39 



and oxygen ; when any one of these is absent there can 

 be no growth. 



Where buried too deep, therefore, they have moisture, 

 but no heat or air. When too near the surface they 

 have too much of these, but too little moisture. More- 

 over, seeds germinate best when light is excluded. 



In sowing seeds, then, they must be covered to 

 exclude light, deep enough to find moisture not so 

 deep as to hinder the air reaching them for warm, moist 

 air is exactly what they require. It is of the greatest 

 importance that the ground should be properly prepared 

 for the seed ; the soil ought to be fine and loose, should 

 not be beaten hard and smooth. If it be flattened 

 down when damp it will shrink as it dries, and there 

 will be cracks through which the moisture will escape, 

 carrying the heat with it. The essentials for germination 

 and growth are : a well worked soil preparatory to sowing, 

 and a frequent stirring with the hoe or trowel afterwards 

 in spring and early summer. 



As a rule, annuals only need to be well covered, but 

 they should be really covered, and in such a way that 

 they will not be disturbed by watering. Vegetable seeds 

 should be covered in proportion to their size cabbage and 

 turnips not more than half an inch ; onions, parsnips, and 

 carrots, I inch ; spinach and beet, 2 inches ; peas, 3 ; beans, 

 4; and in summer rather deeper than in early spring. 

 And here let me once for all sound a note of warning. 

 It is no uncommon thing to hear bitter complaints from 

 one's friends as to the failure of their seeds the failure 



