THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



221 



Place seeds in the box and cover all of them with soil, so 

 that after it has been made firm with a flat piece of 

 board, the box will be filled to within half an inch of 

 the top. Water with a garden sprinkler and keep the 

 box covered with a pane 

 of glass until the seeds 

 begin to come up. Keep 

 the box at living-room 

 temperature as nearly as 

 possible. In schoolrooms, 

 where the temperature 

 is low on Saturdays and 

 Sundays, seeds should 

 be planted on Monday. 

 This will give them an 

 opportunity to germi- 

 nate during the week, 

 while the room is warm. 

 Germination may also 

 be hastened by soaking 

 the seeds for twenty- 

 four hours before plant- Much of the vitalit y of the P lant was lost in 



forming a double set of roots 



ing them. 



Sowing small seeds. Cabbage, lettuce, and other small 

 seeds should have the soil prepared as for large' seeds, ex- 

 cepting that the box should be filled with soil to within 

 half an inch of the top before planting. The seeds may be 

 planted in rows or sown in the seed bed. If they are to 

 be sown, divide the box into as many spaces as there 



FIG. 123. A Plant grown from a Seed that 

 was planted too deep 



