THICKNESS OF SEEDING 79 



hot, dry weather and checked in their growth. Even warm season 

 crops, like muskmelons, make a much smaller vine growth in a 

 dry than in a wet season. Since, however, it is impossible to fore- 

 cast the season at planting time, it is wise to plant at distances 

 that will allow sufficient space for the plants to develop even if 

 the season should be wet and the growth rampant. There is 

 usually little advantage to be gained by unduly crowding plants 

 of any kind. 



THICKNESS OF SEEDING 



The thickness of sowing seeds in the row or the number of 

 seeds planted per hill depends upon whether or not the plants 

 are to be thinned. The advantage of thick seeding is that there 

 is more certainty of securing a full stand in spite of failure of 

 some of the seeds or unfavorable soil conditions. A mass of 

 seedlings close together can break through a soil crust that could 

 not be penetrated by a single seedling. It was formerly the 

 practice to sow a large number of seeds in the hope that some 

 might find conditions favorable for germination; and then, if the 

 stand was too thick in places, to thin the seedlings. Thick seeding 

 is still permissible where small areas are planted; but in commercial 

 operations the labor of thinning becomes an important item, and it 

 is more economical of seed and labor to use only viable seeds and 

 so thoroughly prepare the seed bed that, except under abnormal 

 weather conditions, a good stand will be secured without the thick 

 seeding and consequent necessity of a large amount of thinning. 



Many commercial onion growers have dispensed with thinning 

 altogether. They test each lot of seed for germinative power, 

 and adjust their drills with such extreme precision that the amount 

 of seed sown per acre can be regulated almost to the ounce. Corn 

 growers formerly planted heavily and then thinned if necessary. 

 Now the practice is to test and grade the seed and regulate the 

 planter to drop the same number of kernels per hill as the number 

 of stalks desired. 



It is true that a more absolutely uniform stand can be secured 

 by thick planting and subsequent thinning, and that greater 

 uniformity in the size and shape of some products (such as 

 onions) can be secured if each plant is allotted a definite amount 

 of space, as is possible only when thinning is practiced. How- 

 ever, with proper care in the preparation of the seed bed and 

 in the seeding, it is possible to dispense with a large amount of 



