112 



THE SCHOOL GARDEN BOOK 



readily computed. A few days after the seeds are placed in 

 the germinator they will begin to sprout, and as fast as they 

 do this they should be removed and an accurate record kept. 

 By the end of a week or so from the time the sprouting 

 begins all that would be likely to grow out-doors will have 

 germinated, and those which remain will represent the per- 

 centage of seeds that 

 do not germinate. 



By sowing fifty or 

 a hundred seeds in a 

 tiny drill or furrow 

 in the window-box, 

 one can readily make 

 a test of the growing 

 powers of any seed. 

 In doing this it is 

 necessary that they 

 all be covered with 

 about the same amount of soil. To insure such uniform 

 planting, make a furrow by pushing the square edge of a ruler 

 into the soil one-half inch, thus leaving a small furrow of that 

 depth. Along the bottom of this place the seeds, one at a time, 

 and cover them uniformly with fine soil. Be very careful in 

 watering — simply keep the soil moist, but not wet, and as the 

 plants come up let them grow for a week or two to see what 

 difference there is in the vigor of the different seedlings. When 

 each has shown sufficient vitality so that you are satisfied that 

 it would make a good plant, pull it up, keeping a careful rec- 

 ord of the number thus pulled. At the end of the testing, this 

 number, as compared with the total number of seeds planted, 

 will give you the percentage that will be likely to grow. 



Tomato Seedlings in a Window-box. 



