AMONG SCHOOL GARDENS 



NOTE 13, PAGE 192 



PLANTING. PRICKING OUT, TRANSPLANTING AND 

 POTTING 



Planting Seeds in Flats. — At the florists, earthen 

 seed-pans can be bought or wooden boxes called flats. 

 The first are expensive; the second can be easily 

 made by teacher, by pupils in manual training class 

 or by almost any child, from the pine boxes so largely 

 used for packing canned goods, soaps, etc. These 

 can be bought for five or ten cents apiece, and are 

 sometimes given away. These boxes are usually 9 or 

 10 inches deep and can be cut in 3 inch sections with a 

 rip saw. The top and bottom make two flats. The 

 middle sections of two or three boxes put together 

 will make another flat. Bore a number of i inch 

 auger holes in the bottom of each flat for drainage. 



Soil: The flat may be filled with earth in the pres- 

 ence of the children so that they may see how thor- 

 oughly the soil should be prepared. From two boxes 

 or piles, one of rich soil, the other of sand, take three 

 parts sand and one part soil, and with the hands or a 

 scoop (better hands) thoroughly mix them. Then, 

 using an ordinary flour sieve, sift the mixture through 

 it. First put into the flat a layer of broken flower 

 pots, cinders or small stones, explaining that this is 

 done so as to give good drainage and to prevent 

 the water from settling into little pools and causing 

 the seeds to rot or the soil to mould or become sour. 

 Over the layer of broken stuff, spread the coarse 

 screenings from the earth just mixed until the flat 

 is about half full. Then add the finely sifted soil. 

 See to it that the soil is pushed well into the corners 



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