AMONG SCHOOL GARDENS 



inch pipe because it will be 7 pounds lighter for 

 each 25-foot section than the usual if inch piping. 

 It will wear out less quickly from being dragged 

 about, and the children are less likely to do dam- 

 age with the smaller stream. 



A general rule for planting flower seeds is to 

 scatter very fine ones on loose earth, cover with a 

 board, and stamp into the ground. For conven- 

 ience with children, the very fine seeds may be 

 mixed with fine earth and then scattered in rows 

 or broadcast to be firmed into the ground. All 

 small seeds should be planted the depth of their 

 greatest diameter and larger seeds like nastur- 

 tiums four times that depth. Very hard seeds, 

 such as castor oil bean and those of some gourds, 

 should have the end opposite the little root stock 

 cut with a sharp knife. Seeds like parsley, 

 known to be long in germinating, may be soaked 

 for twenty-four hours in warm water. 



Lettuce needs abundant nitrogen. Cabbages, 

 cauliflower, etc. are benefited by it if applied after 

 they begin to head up. (They take phosphoric 

 acid from the ground.) In sandy soils they would 

 like some extra potash. Beets and turnips re- 

 joice in extra nitrogen and phosphoric acid. 

 Beans secure their own nitrogen through their 

 colonies of bacteria. Carrots like barnyard ma- 

 nure with a Httle additional potash. Tomatoes 

 like a similar enrichment with a nitrate well mixed 

 into the soil at transplanting time. Clay soil 

 suits cucumbers and squashes, while muskmelons 



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