DIEECT SOWINGS. 237 



spoilt by handling and transport, and are, therefore, 

 often advantageously sown at once. 



Spring sowing is thus the general rule.* It is also 

 justified by the fact that the seeds germinate before 

 the ground is covered with grass, and that, in the 

 case of conifers, they escape the ravages of birds of 

 passage, which greedily devour them. It is even ad- 

 visable, in nurseries for example, to sow rather late, 

 only in that case the seeds ought to be soaked in 

 water, or better still, in liquid manure. Nevertheless 

 when large areas are to be sown, it becomes neces- 

 sary to distribute the work, and thus to sow in autumn 

 as well as in spring. The seeds should then be sown 

 more abundantly, in order to provide against accidents. 



MANNEE OF SOWING. When the whole surface 

 of the ground has been cultivated, the seeds are 

 usually sown broad-cast ; but when they are small, it 

 is desirable to mix them with fine earth, in order to 

 scatter them more uniformly. The use of dibbling 

 machines with the object of economising seed, seems 

 a difficult matter, and, in the majority of cases, the 

 slope of the ground does not admit of it. 



In band and patch cultivation also the seeds are 

 sown with the hand ; but in the case of light seeds, 

 care must be taken to stoop down during the opera- 

 tion, in order to avoid their being carried away by 

 the wind to the portions left intact. Too much 

 seed must not be taken in the hand at a time, and 

 they ought to be allowed to slip through between the 



* In some parts of the Himalayas it has been found better to sow 

 conifer s in the autumn. 



