18 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



I will speak briefly on the requirements of the A'arious classes into 

 which these are divided. There is an old axiom which says that in 

 order to have seeds germinate well they should be covered with 

 twice their own diameter of soil. This is hardly correct. It is 

 true that the majority of seeds might germinate well if treated thus, 

 but in the case of outdoor crops much depends on the time of year 

 seeds are sown. For instance — taking vegetables first — garden 

 peas when sown very early should not be covered more than 2-2| 

 inches, successional sowings should go an inch deeper, and late 

 sowings, made from May 20 to June 15, from 4| to 5 inches deep. 

 "When the soil is very dry it materially hastens germination to run a 

 watering can along the drills and dampen the seeds well; this is 

 preferable to soaking the seeds over night. The latter plan, good 

 in many ways, has some drawbacks. There is always danger of 

 soaking rains rendering the soil unfit for seed sowing at the time 

 the peas should go in. A point worth remembering about peas 

 is, that they are the most nutritious of any vegetables; they extract 

 a great deal of nourishment from the soil and for that reason they 

 should, if possible, be given a piece of ground well manured for some 

 crop like celery the year previously. If the fertilizing element is 

 placed too near the seeds the plants do not root freely, hence the 

 desirability of keeping it some distance away, incorporating it well 

 with the soil, and thus make the roots more active. Peas are the 

 most important pecuniarily of all garden vegetables, seed sales of 

 them exceed that of the three next most important vegetables com- 

 bined. 



Root crops such as carrots, beets, parsnips, salsify, turnips, and 

 scorzonera should be sown on land on which no fresh manure hfts 

 been used, if clean roots are desired ; ground well manured the pre- 

 vious year will suit them to a nicety. Carrots and turnips are 

 easily sown too thickly; this entails a lot of additional work at 

 thinning time. For the later sowings be sure to firm the soil well 

 if the ground is very dry. It is not unusual in a dry season for seeds 

 of root crops to lie dormant for a number of weeks. If seeds of the 

 various root crops are covered an average of one inch it will be found 

 about right. 



Hot-beds or cold frames are invaluable for starting many vege- 

 table and flower seeds in; even a very small garden should contaih 



