80 



THE PLANTING OF SEEDS 



thinning, though it will probably always be necessary to practice 

 thick seeding in the case of crops in danger of excessive insect 

 ravages in the seedling stage, such as melons, cucumbers and 

 squashes. 



In the case of certain crops, if the seeding is fairly thin, what- 

 ever thinning is necessary may be deferred until the plants are 

 large enough for use. This practice is permissible only when the 

 original stand is fairly thin, for crowded seedlings do not reach 

 edible size as soon as they would if not crowded; and the removal 

 of part of the crowded plants when they are wanted for the table 

 is likely to seriously disturb and impair the growth of those that 



Fig. 43. — Sled marker. 



remain. Where the seeding has been thick, a better plan is to 

 make at least a preliminary thinning as early as possible, leaving 

 the plants perhaps twice as thick as they are eventually to stand; 

 and then to pull out every other plant after they reach edible 

 size. This method of thinning is especially adapted to beets, 

 carrots, lettuce and onions in the home garden. 



METHODS OF SOWING SEEDS 



Seeds sown in drills may be planted either by hand or with 

 a garden seed drill. Where only a small amount of seed of each 

 kind is to be sown, the hand method is usually employed. This 

 method involves four distinct operations: (1) Making the drills, 



