136 AGRONOMY 



plants, such as corn, cucumbers, okra, peppers, and tomatoes, 

 must not be planted outdoors until all danger from frost 

 is past. 



Autumn seed bed. The seeds of all hardy plants may be 

 sown in autumn and will lie in the earth unharmed until 

 spring. Some will even grow in autumn and go through the 

 cold season as seedlings. Autumn seed sowing has the ad- 

 vantage that it may be done at a time when other work is not 

 crowding, as in spring, and the stay in the soil over winter 

 will aid in softening the seed coats of many species. In 

 autumn, also, fruiting plants are everywhere and seeds are 

 abundant. It is much easier to carry home a dozen plants as 

 seeds than to transport the same number when they have 

 grown for a year or more. The autumn seed bed should be 

 made in a sheltered situation, and when cold weather has 

 come, it should be mulched with some good litter that is 

 free from weed seeds. 



Germination. The promptness with which the young plants 

 appear above the soil depends upon the kind of seed planted, 

 the temperature of the soil, the amount of moisture present, 

 and various other things. In cold, wet soils seeds of most sorts 

 are slow to germinate, if they grow at all, though a few will 

 sprout at temperatures but slightly above freezing. Increas- 

 ing the temperature, however, hastens germination, and in 

 dry weather soaking the seeds before planting has the same 

 effect. Hardy plants usually do best at temperatures of from 

 50 to 70, tender plants from 60 to 80, and tropical plants 

 from 75 to 95. In favorable weather from three days to two 

 weeks may elapse between planting and the appearance of 

 the seedlings. Seeds of canna, lotus, honey locust, and some 

 others have testas so hard that they delay germination by ex- 

 cluding moisture and air, but they grow readily when a hole is 

 filed through the testa before planting. Boiling water is some- 

 times poured over such seeds to hasten germination. The 



