FLORICULTURE 505 



be done any time thereafter. A few inches of settling always takes 



Elace as the manure becomes compacted, but if the whole mass has 

 een evenly built up no irregularity of surface will result as would in 

 the case of a frame built stationary and filled in the old style manner 

 of constructing hotbeds. 



Planting. The soil of the seed bed should be quite moist but 

 not wet, to be in the best condition for planting. Six inches between 

 rows is about right for distance. Closer than this will cause slender 

 growth in most plants, and a greater distance than six inches would 

 ordinarily prove a waste of space. In marking the rows for planting 

 the old method of scratching the soil with a stick drawn along the 

 edge of a board is usually unsatisfactory as it is impossible in this 

 manner to get the seeds covered to a uniform depth. The marks 

 should be made by pressure instead. A good marker for a hotbed is 

 made by taking a board six inches wide and of a length the rows are 

 to be made. Along one edge of the board a strip is nailed projecting 

 below the edge about a quarter of an inch as the board lies flat upon 

 the soil, and should form a V-shape projection, which is imprinted 

 in the soil by walking on the board. Each time a row is planted a 

 mark is made for the next, and so on until the planting has been fin- 

 ished. The seed is covered by sifting the grooves full of fine soil, 

 after which a thorough sprinkling with water settles the particles of 

 soil about the seed and insures uniform conditions. For some seeds 

 of a light nature, a quarter inch groove in the soil would be too deep, 

 in which case a gauge of proper depth can be easily provided. 



Moisture. While seeds are germinating, the soil should never 

 be allowed to become dry even for a brief period. If the growing 

 germ or even the seed leaves ever become dried out, recovery can 

 hardly be expected of most plants. It is, therefore, of the utmost im- 

 portance to afford protection to seeds and young tender plants during 

 the first stages of growth, especially in respect to furnishing a con- 

 stant supply of moisture. Evaporation of moisture is usually very 

 rapid at the surface of the soil when unprotected by some kind of 

 mulch. A thin layer of moss is sometimes used to arrest evaporation 

 until the plants become well rooted. A very practical substitute for 

 moss has been found in the use of a single thickness of cheap muslin 

 spread, in contact with the soil, over the seed bed immediately after 

 planting. Watering can be done without removing the cloth, which 

 can be left on until the plants by their own force of growth lift it in 

 well defined ridges, and become safely established by their roots pene- 

 trating well into the soil. There is not as much danger of drying out 

 after plants become deeply rooted. The appearance of the foliage 

 will always indicate the supply of moisture present. It is a fact, how- 

 ever, that very many persons fail in their judgment in regard to irri- 

 gating hotbeds. Water should be furnished most liberally when it is 

 applied. The soil should always be saturated to a depth below the 

 limits of root growth, and then the water withheld until the foliage 

 clearly indicates the need of more moisture. Frequent light surface 

 waterings hinder root development and plants so managed are sure 

 to become dwarfed and show lack of vitality. 



