70 TRUCK-FARMING AT THE SOUTH. 



be covered with mould or sand free from such tendency. 

 Large seeds, possessed of more vigor, may be able, when 

 germination has once commenced, to upheave a consid- 

 erable weight of soil, and break through the crust. This 

 baking of the soil is a most prolific cause of failure and 

 disappointment. 



None of the seeds of the truck-farmer need be sown 

 broadcast, as drill sowing, either by hand or with a ma- 

 chine, is to be preferred. The seeds may be sown more 

 regularly; the young plants may be thinned and weeded 

 more conveniently, and the soil may be stirred between 

 the rows. The drill distributes the seed more evenly, at 

 a uniform depth, and the operation may be performed 

 during the prevalence of high wind. There are a num- 

 ber of seed-drills now offered which do good work. Some 

 of these are so arranged that they may be converted into 

 hand-cultivators, and be used for weeding the crop after 

 the plants are up. 



No safe rule can be established, as to the depth at 

 which different seeds should be sown, as the weather and 

 varieties of soil must be considered. If continued damp 

 weather could be a'ssured, the rule to cover the seed to a 

 depth equal to its own thickness, might be a safe one. 

 In such case seeds would germinate, if merely laid upon 

 the surface, although darkness is more favorable for the 

 formation of carbonic acid, and therefore for germina- 

 tion. In this matter, the sower must in each instance 

 be governed by the character of his seed, and by the con- 

 ditions of weather and nature of soil which obtain at the 

 time. While on heavy land, and during damp weather, 

 a grain of corn would grow, if barely covered; in a dry 

 climate and a very sandy soil, it might be necessary to 

 place it one foot below the surface, as is sometimes the 

 case in Colorado. Seed should never be sown, particu- 

 larly on sandy soils, when the ground, from previous 

 drouth, is very dry below, with the surface only moist 



