44 THE SEED AND ITS NEEDS 



moisture conditions, will not produce good plants. It is 

 impossible to set a definite date for the sowing of the 

 seed, since the season, the climate, the moisture and 

 the location vary so much that good judgment must be 

 used in every locality. The local vegetation should be 

 used as an index in determining the proper time of planting. 

 As an example of this the seed of hardy plants such as the 

 peas, the onions, and the radishes are usually sown when the 

 peaches begin to bloom, or as soon as the land can be worked 

 in the spring. Other crops which are not so hardy should be 

 sown about a week or ten days later. Warm, tender plants 

 as the tomato, the egg plant, the pepper and many others, 

 should not be planted until all danger of frost has past. The 

 time at which the last frost occurs, of course, varies in all 

 localities as well as in different seasons. In the South the seed 

 can be sown earlier, while farther north where the season is 

 later the seed must necessarily be sown later. In the sowing 

 of seed, it is always a good practice to sow a larger amount 

 than is necessary to secure a good stand, because this will 

 insure against any loss from unavoidable causes- The extra 

 cost in the sowing of twice the amount of seed required 

 is very small in comparison with the time and space lost 

 when a poor stand results. 



Sowing of Seed. — There are two methods by which seed 

 are sown: (1) broadcasting and (2) sowing in drills. Broad- 

 casting is the distribution of seed freely over the surface from 

 the open hand through the thumb and fingers. There are 

 also several kinds of hand seeders on the market, all of which 

 broadcast the seed. The most simple kind of hand seeder 

 and the one that is most often used for the seeding of grass 

 and other small seed is one with a rotating distribution. This 

 seeder consists of a star-shaped wheel which is given a rapid 

 rotation by gearing from a crank. A bag is provided with 

 straps which may be carried from the shoulder and the 

 distributing device placed at the bottom. The seeder is 

 confined principally to small areas and often used in the 

 seeding of lawns. 



Watering of the Seedlings. — Watering is seldom done prop- 

 erly, and in many cases it is the cause of the amateur 



