Gardening 



Proper firming of the 

 soil is especially im- 

 portant in summer plant- 

 ing. Without it the 

 seeds may lie in the 

 loose, dry soil and fail 

 to germinate. Or the 

 little seedlings may die 

 after germination starts, 

 because the tiny rootlets 

 may find their way into 

 air pockets among the 

 lumps of loose soil in- 

 stead of getting into 

 contact with soil parti- 

 cles that will furnish 

 the water that the plants 

 must have. 



Watering at planting 

 time. Watering imme- 

 diately after planting 

 seeds is not advisable. 

 It compacts the surface 

 layer of soil ; then, when 

 this dries, it cracks and 

 gives out moisture very rapidly. If the ground is dry, 

 soak the area to be planted some 24 hours before plant- 

 ing. Then, after planting, rake up a surface mulch. To 

 hold the moisture in the soil it is often advisable to 

 shade carrots and Chinese cabbage that are planted 

 in hot weather until the young plants begin to appear. 



FIG. 100. Watering the bottom of the 

 furrow before planting the seed. In dry 

 weather this is often done where the soil 

 is sandy or loose, but with clay soils care 

 must be used to prevent puddling. 



