44 THE NURSERY 



downwards ; the reverse being the case with Horse Chest- 

 nut. 



The drills for smaller seed should be about 6 inches apart, 

 just sufficiently wide to enable a man to place his foot between 

 two rows without damaging the young plants when weeding. 



These drills may be marked with a stick and line, or a 

 special marking board may be used with advantage. This 

 marking board, which is placed across the bed, has three 

 strips of wood fastened on the under side, one down the 

 middle and one down each edge. These strips are about J 

 inch wide and J or J or J or I inch in depth, according to the 

 depth at which it is intended to sow the seed. These strips 

 are 6, 7, 8, or 9 inches apart, according to the distance which 

 is required between the drills ; l the under surface of these 

 strips may have a V-shaped notch all the way along, so as to 

 leave a miniature ridge down the drill, and if the seed is 

 dropped along that ridge, it will fall to either side and the 

 drill will be more evenly seeded. 



The seed may be sown by hand or poured gently out of 

 a "seed can," which has various cone-shaped nozzles to suit 

 the size of various seeds. After the seed is sown, the drills 

 are smoothed and the bed lightly rolled. 



Seed should never be sown when the land is wet, or 

 the soil will get lumpy and perhaps form a paste and interfere 

 with germination. In order to keep off birds, etc., it is a good 

 plan to " pickle " the seed in red lead, mixed with water to the 

 consistency of cream, or else to mix them with red lead after 

 soaking them in water. 



It is a great mistake, and a great waste of seed to sow too 

 thickly ; but the seeding must be relatively thicker if the 

 germinative capacity of the seed is small, than when the 

 reverse is the case. 



Speaking generally, broadcasting requires about 3 times 

 as much seed as when the seed is sown in drills. 



The following table shows the number of seeds contained 



1 Two boards may be used instead of one. In such cases, each board 

 need have only two strips, which are placed away from each edge one- 

 half of such distance as the rows are apart. 



