34 GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES 



allotment holders and those who devote themselves to 

 gardens. To buy larger quantities is therefore wasteful 

 and even unpatriotic. 



When sowing do not trample on the ground, but 

 provide yourself with a plank and stand on that (Plate 3, 

 Fig. 5). As a row is completed press it slightly with 

 another plank in order that the seeds may be nicely 

 tucked up in their beds. If birds are troublesome, and 

 they will be where lettuces, peas, beans, and onions are 

 concerned, you must thread the rows with cotton in 

 some such way as suggested in Plate 3, Figs. 7 and 8. 

 The wary old starlings which sit on adjacent trees, 

 watching you insert your beans and other seed, will 

 then be hindered in their endeavours to secure a free 

 meal. Sometimes you will find it necessary to make a 

 sowing in pans or pots under glass. When so doing 

 (1) provide sufficient drainage; (2) use a sandy loam; 



(3) some well-rotted manure will prove beneficial; 



(4) press the surface after sprinkling the seed ; (5) give 

 frequent supplies of water of a mild temperature; 

 (6) and do not forget that air is necessary for growth 

 (see Plate 5, Figs. 1 and 2). Much other matter 

 dealing with the operation of sowing will be found 

 tabulated at the end of this book. 



Treatment of Seedlings. It is highly imperative 

 that the frail and delicate nature of seedlings be recog- 

 nised. First of all they must be given adequate but not 

 excessive supplies of water in dry weather. However, 

 it is the simplest thing in the world to abuse the water- 

 pot, for by undue supplies of liquid the roots become 

 drawn to the surface and lose the power of searching 



