222 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



PLANTING THE SEED. 



AViNG prepared 

 the soil and pro- 

 vided the neces- 

 sary conditions 

 for the growth 

 of the plant, the 

 next step is the 

 planting of the 

 seed, and this is 

 a matter of no 

 small import- 

 ance. The best 

 seeds must be 

 selected. Plant 

 only such as are 

 plump and well ripened and pure. It is a 

 ■waste of labor and soil to plant imperfect, 

 shrivelled and foul seeds. Many seeds re- 

 quire some preparation for the soil. Wheat 

 should be prepared by soaking in brine, solu- 

 tions of copperas or saltpetre. Put the grain 

 into a sufficient quantity of the solution to 

 cover it ; then stir it, and skim off all seeds 

 that float upon the surface. Thus you will re- 

 move most of the weed seeds and imperfect 

 grains. After soaking a proper time, pour oflf 

 the liquid and dry the grain by mixing it with 

 a sufficient quantity of plaster or ashes. 



The drill is now generally admitted to be 

 the best means of putting in wheat. It re- 

 quires less seed, and puts it in the proper 

 depth. In the autumn, if the land is in a suit- 

 able state, there is little danger of putting it 

 in too deep. In the spring, especially if the 

 soil is wet, there is danger that it may fail to 

 germinate if put in too deeply. 



Corn, too, should be prepared in the same 

 way, as a security against worms and birds. 

 Soaking in a solution of copperas is probably 

 the best thing for corn. Some prefer a little 

 tar dissolved in hot water. The corn should 

 be put into this and stirred briskly, the water 

 drained off and plaster mixed with it until the 

 kernels no longer adhere together. Either of 

 these preparations secure the grains from the 

 worms, and seem to be offensive to the birds, 

 and pay well for the trouble of applying them. 

 Corn should never be planted till the ground 

 is dry and warm. If planted in cold, wet 

 ground it will come up, if it come up at all, 

 yellow and spindling, and will be slow in tak- 

 ing on a thrifty growth. It had better be 



planted late than in a soil jn an unsuitable 

 state. There is often much complaint thnt 

 sweet corn will not come up. This is owing 

 to the fact that much of it is not well ripened. 

 Sweet corn for seed should be gathered early, 

 and hung up in tresses in the sun, and remain 

 exposed to the sun nntil it is thoroughly dried. 

 It should be lightly covered in a dry, warm 

 soil. If it is planted too deeply in a cold soil, 

 much of it will rot before it germinates. 

 Sweet corn contains but little oil. It takes in 

 water rapidly, and when there is not suffident 

 heat in the soil it is apt to decay. Good man- 

 agement will often save the vexation of failure. 

 Garden seeds often fail from being covered 

 too deeply in the soil. As a general rule, it 

 may be said that the small seeds require a very 

 light covering. The larger seeds, as peas and 

 beans, may be covered more deeply. Many 

 flower seeds fail to germinate from too deep 

 planting. We should learn wisdom from the 

 processes of nature. The seeds that drop from 

 the pods of flower stalks, and from weeds and 

 grasses receive but very slight covering or none 

 at all, and a sufficient number of them germi- 

 nate. Beet and mangold seeds often fail to 

 germinate from being planted too deeply. 

 Many suppose the beet seed to be a large 

 seed ; but the seed as we see it is merely a 

 burr or pod, each compartment of which con- 

 tains a very small seed. Every gardener 

 knows that several plants often spring from 

 what is called one beet seed. This is because 

 the burr contains several distinct seeds. Beet 

 seeds should be soaked a day or two in water 

 and then covered very lightly in a warm, mel- 

 low soil. Beet seed we t^nk should be planted 

 on ridges made by back-furrowing two fur- 

 rows together. The ridge should then be 

 flattened by a light roller and the seed planted 

 on this at regular intervals, and slightly cov- 

 ered. The seeds of tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, 

 parsnips and onions should be covered very 

 lightly. The ground in which the two latter 

 are sowed should be made very fine,, and after 

 the seeds are sown should be flattened with the 

 spade or a board, or what is better with a light 

 roller. ^ This prevents the soil from becoming 

 too dry before the seeds germinate. If pars- 

 nip and onion seeds are soaked for a day in 

 water and then dried with powdered soot, or 

 with plaster, they will be more sure to germi- 

 nate. 



