Raising Stock by Propagation 



For the safe storing of seed conditions are required 

 directly opposed to those necessary for their germina- 

 tion. Hence we require a cool dry atmosphere removed 

 from sun and light, and of course beyond the reach of 

 vermin. If these conditions are afforded to seeds which 

 have been gathered when ripe, there is little fear of their 

 vitality being in any way impaired. Seeds require for 

 germination moisture, warmth, a fine tilth and shade 

 from sunshine. If these are available, and good seed 

 is sown at the right time, all will be well. 



Seed may be sown broadcast or in drills. Which should 

 be done is chiefly a matter of circumstance. Sowing in 

 drills certainly looks neater when there is a large area, 

 but for a few seeds such as is sufficient to provide a 

 cottager with lettuce or cabbage, it may quite as well 

 be sown broadcast. More important than the manner 

 of sowing is the preparation of the soil; for it is abso- 

 lutely necessary if seed is to germinate, that a fine tilth 

 be obtained. This means breaking the soil so small 

 that pieces larger than a marble are an exception. In 

 light soil this desideratum is very soon obtained, but 

 not so easily in the case of a heavy clay soil. Here the 

 soil having been dug over in the autumn and left during 

 the winter, has been broken up to a great extent, but 

 not sufficiently. It will be necessary to fork it over 

 perhaps two or three times, and beat it, tread it, and 

 rake it, repeatedly. If the digging has been left till the 

 spring the work will be doubled, for if wet when dug a 

 dry March wind will soon make the soil as hard as 

 bricks and almost superhuman effort must be expended 

 if it is to be brought into a sufficiently fine state. 

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