SEED-SOWING. 



SEED-SOWING. 



** Come, ye soft sylphs ! who sport on Latian land, 

 Come, sweet-lipped Zephyr, and Favoneous bland, 

 Touch the fine seed, instinct with life, to shoot 

 On earth's cold bosom its descending root; 

 With pith elastic stretch its rising sterfi ; 

 Part the twin lobes, expand the throbbing germ, 

 Clasp in your airy arms the aspiring plume, 

 Fan with your balmy breath its kindling bloom, 

 Each widening scale and bursting film unfold, 

 Swell the green cup, and tint the flower with gold; 

 While in bright veins the silvery sap ascends, 

 And refluent blood in milky eddies bends; 

 While spread in air the leaves respiring play, 

 Or drink the golden quintessence of day." 



This operation is generally performed early in the spring, 

 and it is absolutely necessary, in the first place to prepare 

 the ground to make it suitable for their reception, in doing 

 which it should be observed that in turning up the soil in 

 the spring for that purpose, never dig but half spade deep, 

 for the soil in the spring" is cold, and for that purpose is deep 

 enough ; if deeper it would have a tendency to chill and 

 rot your seed. That part of the soil turned up should be 

 well pulverized to encourage their growth; another thing, 

 neither should the soil be too dry or too moist, the one be- 

 ing as detrimental as the other ; though if dry could in 

 some measure be counterbalanced with the watering-pot. 

 The state of the soil will depend in a great measure on the 

 time ; if early it is most likely to be damp. If the soil be 

 dry after sowing the seed, give it a gentle watering to pre- 



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