22 SKEDAGE. 



which has previously been well firmed and leveled, and then 

 covered with a very thin layer of finely sifted soil or a little 

 old and dead moss rubbed through a sieve. This covering 

 should be scarcely deeper than the thickness of the seeds ; 

 that is, the seeds should be barely covered. Many prefer 

 pressing the seeds into the soil with a block. Or if one has 

 a close propagating-box, the seeds may remain upon the 

 surface and sufficient moisture will be supplied from the 

 atmosphere. Such fine seeds are rarely watered directly, as 

 even the most careful treatment would be likely to dislodge 

 them. The soil is usually well watered before the seeds are 

 sown, or moisture may be supplied by inserting the pot in 

 water nearly to its rim for a few minutes. If water is applied 

 from a rose, a thin cloth should first be spread on the soil to 

 hold it. Celery seeds, in outdoor beds, are often sown upon 

 a smoothly prepared surface and are then pressed in by 

 means of the feet or a board. Some cover to prevent evapo- 

 ration should be given all small seeds. This may be a board 

 or a slate slab at first, but as soon as the plants appear 

 glass should be substituted to admit light. (See pp. 3 to 7.) 



Large seeds demand much less care as to depth of cover- 

 ing, as a rule. One-fourth or one-half inch is a good depth 

 for most coarse seeds indoors. If one wishes to gauge the 

 depth accurately, the drills may be made by a planting stick, 

 like that shown in Fig. 16. Its flange is made of the required 

 thickness, and it is pressed into the soil until the cap strikes 

 the surface. This is a useful implement in seed-testing. 

 Another device for regulating the depth of sowing, par- 

 ticularly in seed-testing, is 

 the Tracy planter, shown in 

 Fig. 17. It consists of two 

 strips of heavy tin plate 

 about three inches wide, 



. , .. hung upon two wire pivots 



16. Planting stick. . 



or hinges some two inches 



long. At their upper edges, and equidistant from either 

 end, the plates are joined by a firm spiral spring, 



