LUTHER BURBANK 



slow growth, make the filling somewhat shallower 

 to prevent drowning or "damping off" of the 

 seedlings. For spring planting make the earth a 

 little deeper to prevent too sudden drying out, 

 and otherwise to regulate the amount of moisture. 



PLANTING THE SEEDS 



Having filled the box with the prepared soil to 

 the right depth, level the surface of the soil by 

 pressing it down with a flat piece of board until 

 it is smooth and fairly solid. Then sow the seeds 

 quite thickly on this smooth surface, and dust a 

 handful of the prepared soil over them. In the 

 case of very small seeds, a mere sprinkling of the 

 soil is enough. For larger seeds sprinkle the soil 

 to a depth of one-eighth or one-quarter of an inch. 



A very common mistake is to cover the seeds 

 too deeply. It should be recalled that the tender 

 sprout must force its way upward against the 

 weight of soil that covers it. The soil covering 

 should be sufficient to give it protection, but not 

 enough to be burdensome. If too deeply covered, 

 tender seedlings may not be able to force their 

 way to the surface. 



When seeds are planted in fields, and it is neces- 

 sary to give them protection from the weather, 

 Mr. Burbank entirely covers them with a thin 

 layer of earth and sprinkles over this a layer of 

 sawdust which will serve the purpose of equaliz- 

 ing the temperature, and will not subject the 

 sprouting plant to undue weight. Even in the 



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