KITCHEN-GARDENING. 19 



making drills for the various kinds of seed ; and drills thus 

 made serve instead of straining a line when transplanting Cab- 

 bage, Lettuce, Leek plants, etc. ; the line being stretched at 

 one edge of the bed, and the drilling machine drawn straight 

 by the line, makes five drills at once. If they are straight, they 

 may be kept so, by keeping one drill open for the outside 

 tooth to work in, until the ground be all drilled. 



Gardeners practise different methods of covering up seed ; 

 some do it with a hoe, others with a rake or harrow ; some 

 draw a portion of the earth to the side of the bed, and after 

 sowing the seed, return it regularly over the bed ; in some 

 particular cases a sieve is used, in others a roller. Boiling or 

 treading in seed is necessary in dry seasons ; but it should never 

 be done when the ground is wet. 



Many kinds of seed, such as Asparagus, Capsicum, Celery, 

 Fetticus, Leek, Lettuce, Onion, Parsnip, Parsley, Rhubarb, 

 Salsify, Spinach, etc., will not vegetate freely in dry weather 

 unless the ground be watered or rolled. Where there is no 

 roller on the premises, the following contrivance may answer 

 for small beds as a substitute : after the seed is sown, and the 

 ground well raked, take a board the whole length of the bed, 

 lay it flat on the ground, begin at one edge of the bed, and 

 walk the whole length of it ; this will press the soil on the seed ; 

 then shift the board till you have gone over the whole bed. In 

 the absence of boards, tread in the seed with your feet, or 

 strike on the bed with the back of your spade or shovel ; but 

 this should not be done when the ground is wet. 



If it be necessary at any time to sow seed in extremely dry 

 weather, it is recommended to soak the seed in water, and dry 

 it with sulphur. This practice, with attentive watering, will 

 cause the seed to vegetate speedily. 



I have, in most cases, recommended seed to be sown in 

 drills drawn from eight to twelve inches apart, in preference to 

 sowing broadcast ; because the weeds can be more easily 

 destroyed by means of a small hoe, which, if properly used, 

 greatly promotes the growth of young plants. 



