254 AGRICULTURE FOR BEGINNERS 



growth. The oxygen of the air is also essential, and if 

 seeds are buried so deeply that the air cannot reach them, 

 they will not grow, even if warm and moist. 



The depth of planting will vary with the character and 

 size of the seed. English peas may be covered six inches 

 deep and will be all the better for it, but if corn be covered 

 so deep, it hardly gets above the ground. In planting 



FIG. 222. GATHERING AND SHIPPING CELERY 



From a photograph made at C. A. Dryer's Willow Brook Farm, 

 South Lima, N.Y. 



small seeds like those of the radish, cabbage, turnip, let- 

 tuce, etc., a good rule is to cover them three times the 

 thickness of the seed. 



In sowing seeds when the ground is rather dry, it is a 

 good plan, after covering them, to tramp on the row with 

 the feet so as to press the soil closely to the seeds and to 

 retain moisture for germination, but do not pack the soil 

 if it be damp. 



