28 MARKET GARDENING 



for its use while germinating and growing into a seedling. 

 The conditions which have to be supplied then are the heat 

 and the moisture. If the seeds are to be planted in a hot 

 bed, the ground must be warmed by the use of glass and the 

 manure under the bed ; if the seeds are to be planted in the 

 open ground we must depend upon the weather conditions 

 for the right temperature of the soil. The seeds of the cooler 

 loving plants such as cabbage, or turnip, may be planted in 

 cooler soils than such seed as tomato, egg plant or cucumber. 

 Such seeds as lettuce, spinach, cabbage, beet and 

 radishes may be sown earlier and under cooler conditions 

 than may seeds of tomato, corn, egg plant, melons and other 

 warmth loving plants. 



The time for seed sowing depends upon such factors as 

 condition of the soil, liability for frost and the season. For 

 such plants as tomatoes, peppers, egg plant, lettuce, cabbage 

 and other transplanted crops, the time for sowing the seed 

 under glass is determined largely by the season in which it 

 is desired to harvest the crops. 



37. Planting. In the home garden the seeds are usually 

 planted by hand by dropping them in the hill or furrow 

 previously prepared. That the rows may be straight and 

 a uniform distance apart, the ground should be measured 

 and staked and a line used in marking out the rows. The 

 line should be stretched tightly and the corner of a hoe or 

 the back of a rake used to follow the line and make the pro- 

 posed furrow. The seeds should be dropped at uniform 

 intervals; seed held between the thumb and finger may be 

 dropped evenly with a little practice. For the larger garden, 

 a seed drill is indispensable for economical planting. The 

 depth of planting is then easily regulated. 



After planting, the soil should be firmed by pressing it 

 down with the back of a hoe or rake. This is done to restore 



