PACKING THE SOIL ABOUT PLANTED SEEDS 65 



Pressing with a Board. Very small seeds, as those 

 of tobacco and petunia plants, are often sown on the sur- 

 face of the ground without being afterward covered with 

 soil. In such cases, the sower commonly lays over them 

 a board on which he walks, to press the soil, and to bring 

 the seed into very close contact with it. 



Evaporation Makes Packing Necessary If the soil 

 were always damp on the surface, it would not be neces- 

 sary to pack it over the seed. But, since the surface tends 

 to dry out by evaporation to the depth of an inch or two, 

 planted seeds need to absorb their water quickly in dry 

 weather, or the soil may become so dry about them that 

 they can not secure enough water for germination. In 

 this case, the seeds must wait until rain comes, or until 

 watered, and thus the crop will be delayed or it may be 

 entirely cut off. Thus, the simple act of pressing the 

 soil about the planted seeds will sometimes save a valu- 

 able crop that would otherwise be lost. 



Plant Soon after Plowing When ground is plowed 

 in dry weather, the dry surface soil is turned under, and 

 the more moist soil from below is brought to the top. If 

 seeds are planted at once in this moist top soil, and the 

 soil is well pressed about them, they wilt almost always 

 germinate before the surface becomes too dry, even in 

 time of rather severe drought. It is important in dry 

 weather, therefore, to plant seeds as soon as possible 

 after the ground is plowed and prepared. 



QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES. 



i. Why do seeds germinate sooner in a soil that is slightly 



moist when it is packed closely about them? 

 G. & M. A g . s. 



