SOWING SEEDS. 41 



human foods. He is thus lifted above the laborious 

 routine of digging, plowing and harrowing, and becomes 

 a student of nature. By the application of commercial 

 manure the gardener has an advantage oyer the use of 

 stable manure in the avoidance of adding to the stock of 

 weed seed natural to his land, stable manure always con- 

 taining more or less seeds of grain or weeds. The use 

 of commercial fertilizers, on the other hand, while rais- 

 ing agriculture to a higher level of intellectual thought, 

 has made a large class of farmers indifferent, if, indeed, 

 not strangers, to the old school methods of farm recu- 

 peration, a condition much to be regretted. 



Commercial fertilizers will always be in demand, and 

 much of the success of our agriculturists depends upon 

 the capital and talent of the manufacture of such ma- 

 nures. A fair amount of confidence can be placed in 

 well made fertilizers, due principally to the enactment 

 of laws by several of the State legislatures requiring from 

 manufacturers sworn statements of analysis, and also to 

 the very critical investigations and comparisons made at 

 the various State experiment stations. 



CHAPTER VI. 



SOWING SEEDS. 



In this we refer to the sowing or planting of the 

 seeds of vegetables or flowers in the open garden. Every 

 sane man knows that a preparation of the land is neces- 

 sary, but when and how to make the preparation can 

 only be learned by reading, observation or experience. 

 Experience in the garden, like experience in all matters 

 of life, is the most practical teacher ; when and how to 

 dig or plow, when to harrow or rake, to clean the 



