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NIVERSITY] 



J THE SEED 15 



Raising Seedlings. 



Observations are readily made on seeds sown in 

 boxes. For this purpose it is necessary to provide suit- 

 able boxes and material. The boxes should be shallow, 

 from 4 to 6 inches in depth, with sides securely fastened 

 so that they may bear the weight of the moist soil. A 

 number of holes, about half an inch in diameter, should 

 be bored in the bottom of each box in order to secure 

 free drainage. In addition to wooden boxes, useful seed 

 boxes may be made from large biscuit-tins. 



The soil for filling the boxes should be prepared by 

 Sifting, first, through a sieve having holes of about an 

 inch in diameter ; this removes the large stones : the 

 sifted soil should next be passed through a second sieve 

 having holes of about a quarter of an inch in diameter ; 

 this separates the gravel from the fine soil. A small 

 quantity of soil should be passed through a still finer 

 sieve. It is advisable to prepare a good supply of soil 

 and to store it in a dry place, so that, whenever required, 

 stones, gravel, or fine soil may be available. 



A tool is useful for levelling and lightly pressing down 

 the soil as it is placed in the boxes. This is simply 

 supplied by a piece of smooth board, half an inch in 

 thickness and about 8 by 4 inches in area, with a suit- 

 able knob or handle fixed on the back. 



A supply of dry, finely-chopped grass (for instance, 

 lawn mowings) or preferably coco-nut fibre refuse, is 

 also required. 



To prepare a box for sowing seeds, place at the 

 bottom a layer about I to 2 inches deep of the 



