CULTIVATION. 107 



to too late a date if the land were watered and sowing took 

 place in moist soil after the land had dried somewhat. 

 When the land has been lying fallow for some time, the 

 crop is often sown before water is applied. 



When sown, seeds are covered by hand, foot, fass, 

 mazaha, ramroum, zahaffa, plough, or cultivator. Small 

 seeds on wet land bury themselves in the mud and require 

 no covering except on very sandy soil. Seeds, if covered 

 too deep, will get too much moisture and too little air ; if 

 too light a covering of soil is given, the seeds will obtain 

 too much air and too little moisture for germination. 

 The depth of covering most favourable to germination 

 increases with the size and hardness of the seed, the 

 dryness of the seed bed, the fineness of the tilth, and the 

 porosity of the soil. 



Many of the seeds which are sown in the soil fail to 

 germinate even under the most favourable conditions. 

 When seeds are dibbled in dry soil, and one plant is wanted 

 per hole, far more than one seed is sown. Theoretically 

 one seed per hole is best because less seed is required and 

 there is less fear of one diseased seed infesting all its 

 neighbours. Practically it is found necessary to sow 

 5 to 10 cotton or maize seeds per hole, because it is only 

 the combined action of 5 to 10 seedlings that is able to 

 pierce through the crust which rapidly forms over the 

 seed. With bad watering, or early or late sown crops, more 

 seed is required because the crust is harder before the 

 seedlings appear. 



When too many plants are allowed to mature, the quantity 

 and quality of the crop is decreased, and disease is more 



