THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 189 



frosts and so cannot be planted till the danger from frost 

 is past, usually about three or four weeks after the hardy 

 vegetables are planted. In setting out tender plants like 

 tomatoes, it is well to wait until about a week after the time 

 when the seeds of the same vegetable could be planted. 



Distance. The distance of planting seeds depends on the 

 size of the mature plant. Space enough should be allowed 

 so that the plants will have room enough to grow without 

 crowding. Some seeds like peas are scattered along the 

 rows in drills, while others like corn and potatoes are planted 

 in hills at certain stated distances. 



LABORATORY EXERCISE 23 



Purpose. To test the seeds you are going to plant in your 

 garden. 



Apparatus. Two plates, pieces of cloth, and blotting paper. 



Directions, i. Secure your seeds early enough so that you 

 can test them before the time of planting outdoors arrives. 

 If any of them should prove poor, you will still have time to 

 get some more seeds. 



2. For large seeds like peas secure a piece of cloth and fold 

 into four thicknesses a little smaller than the plate. Moisten 

 the cloth, put it in a plate, and put the seeds between the folds. 

 Cover with the other plate. 



3. For medium seeds like radish, use four folds of blotting 

 paper and put the seeds between the folds. 



4. For small seeds like lettuce, use two folds of blotting paper 

 and place the seeds on top of the paper. 



5. Keep a record of the number of seeds put in the tester. 

 Keep the seeds in a fairly warm place and see that the cloth and 

 paper are kept moist. At the end of two weeks, count the num- 

 ber of seeds that have germinated and compute the per cent 

 that this number is of all those planted. If the per cent is very 

 low, below 50, it will pay to secure new seeds. 



Thinning. It is very important that the young plants 

 should be thinned out when they are two or three inches high. 



