22 VEGECULTURE 



enough ; sown too thickly under all of these conditions seeds will 

 not germinate, and seedlings will not prosper. The ideal sowing 

 c onditions include, first, a suitable surface soil fine, rich, friable, 

 warm, moist, recently dug ; second, propitious weather just after 

 a gentle shower or watering, and during a spell of atmospheric 

 warmth, without great sun-heat ; third, good, fresh seeds. 



To secure the first-named, good digging and draining, with 

 the use of hoe and rake, is necessary ; while over the second 

 the gardener has but little control beyond taking 

 The Depth advantage of any favourable development in the 

 to Sow state of the weather to make his sowings ; and 



the third is a matter of judicious selection. The 

 points to be thoroughly understood by the sower are that, in 

 order to germinate, seeds require moisture, air, genial warmth, 

 and darkness. The ground atmosphere being in a condition 

 to provide the first three, the seeds are placed just deep enough 

 in the soil to ensure the fourth condition. This depth is deter- 

 mined by the size of the seed ; that of a Bean, for instance, 

 may be planted two to three inches deep, whilst the seeds 

 of the herb Rampion the smallest of kitchen-garden seeds 

 must be simply scattered upon the surface and gently pressed 

 into the soil. Another factor that determines the depth to 

 sow is the nature of the ground and the state of the prevailing 

 weather. If the ground is on the heavy or wet side, the seeds 

 are more lightly covered than those which are sown upon a 

 light, dry soil ; the advantage being, in the first case, the access 

 of air to the seed, and, in the second, ensuring a sufficiency of 

 moisture. Seeds may also be planted much nearer the surface 

 in intermittent damp weather, when there is a prospect of the 

 ground remaining fairly moist until the seedling plants have 

 obtained a secure hold upon the soil. In drier weather condi- 

 tions, however, the seeds must be placed deeper in the soil, or 

 the young plants will die for lack of sustenance later on. 

 " Depth," it must be remembered, is to be reckoned in very 

 small fractions of inches. 



It is an advantage, on the majority of soils, if the drills are 

 made about twice as deep as necessary, and partly filled with a 



compost containing materials which offer a better 

 A medium than the surrounding soil, which, if at all 



Seed-Bed stiff or clayey, is certain to be somewhat lumpy, 

 Compost however well pulverized, and in which the seeds 



may get out of their depth or become covered by 

 clods, stones, etc. The materials for this sowing-compost may 



