176 



Gardening 



boards cut to the right 

 form and nailed together. 

 A few holes, \ inch in 

 diameter, should be 

 bored in the bottom to 

 allow good drainage. 



It is well to make 

 flats of such sizes that 

 they will fit into avail- 

 able hotbeds and cold 

 frames without loss of 

 space. Six flats, 20X14 

 inches, conveniently fill 

 a single sash 6X3 feet 

 in area. Smaller flats, 

 however, are easier for 

 children to handle. 



The seed may be germinated in small earthen pans 

 or in small boxes (cigar boxes will do), filled with 

 ordinary garden loam mixed with sand, and the seedlings 

 "picked" out, after germination, into the larger flats 

 containing richer soil. 



Soil for the flats. A good soil for the seed flat is made 

 by mixing sand with the ordinary garden loam. If 

 a rich soil containing decaying manure and compost is 

 used, it is likely to force the young plants too rapidly 

 and lead to development of " damping-off " diseases. 



For filling flats to which seedlings are to be trans- 

 planted, a good soil can be made from equal parts of sand, 

 good garden soil, and well-rotted manure or compost. 

 Sift the sand and soil through a fine sieve (galvanized 



States Relations Service 

 FIG. 101. The easiest way to make a flat. 



