138 



VEGETABLE GARDENING 



200. Watering after sowing. With an overhead sys- 

 tem of irrigation it is often an advantage to water after 

 sowing. In the management of crops under glass, the 

 beds are nearly always watered thoroughly after sowing. 

 The usual plan is to try to apply enough water to render 

 further watering unnecessary until germination is com- 

 plete. The watering of flats or beds by subirrigation 

 is regarded as an advantage by some. The beds must, of 

 course, be water-tight. Flats are often set in shallow 

 tanks containing about 24 mcn of water, or more if neces- 

 sary. The water soon rises 

 in the soil by capillary attrac- 

 tion, and there is no danger 

 of washing out the seed. 

 Watering by sprinkling, how- 

 ever, is always satisfactory 

 when done with care and in- 

 telligence. 



201. Shading the seed bed. 

 Some soils dry out more 

 rapidly than others, and some 

 seeds must have a more uni- 

 form supply of moisture than 

 others. For these reasons shading is often an advantage. 

 In outdoor culture, lath screens (Figure 30) are fre- 

 quently used. Just half the space is covered by the lath, 

 so that no part of the bed is shaded all the time. A 

 screen of this kind is easy to handle and provides good 

 ventilation. Old carpet, burlap and paper are often used 

 in shading beds. The screen or shade should always be 

 removed before the young plants are injured. In green- 

 house and hotbed work the seed boxes are often covered 

 with glass, which conserves the moisture and also raises 

 the temperature when there is sunshine. 



FIG. 30. LATH SCREEN 



