28 THE GINSEKG IKbtJST&Y. 



first row across the bed. To get the position of the 

 other rows, place the tool at right angles to the first 

 row, and press it down as before, making the holes 

 a, b, c, etc. Skip two of the holes, b, c, thus made, 

 and, putting the first peg of the marker in the third 

 hole, d, lay the tool parallel to the first row and press it 

 down. And so on to the end of the bed. The seeds 

 may then be dropped in the holes and covered with a 

 little soil. The writer can testify, from long experience 

 with this tool, that double the area can be planted in a 

 given time, that the bed will present a far more even 

 appearance, and that it can be much more easily culti- 

 vated than when planted in the ordinary way. 



When all the seeds have been planted, cover the 

 entire bed to the depth of an inch with muck or leaf 

 mold, the latter preferred. Then scatter loose brush 

 over it, in order to catch and hold leaves, which will 

 help to protect the seed during the winter. Before 

 growth starts in the spring remove the brush, but let 

 the leaves remain unless a very deep layer has been 

 made. They will act as a summer mulch. The seed- 

 lings will in no wise be inconvenienced, but will appear 

 through the leaf covering. 



TBEATMENT OF SEEDLINGS. 



The little plants may be expected to appear about 

 the first of May in the North ; probably two, three, or 

 even four weeks earlier in the South. In the cultivated 

 beds they can readily be distinguished from all weeds 

 because of their being in rows, so there need be no mis- 

 take when weeding the bed. Commence weeding as 

 soon as there is any weed to be taken out, and continue 

 through the season. 



It is not wise to disturb the soil by any cultivation, 

 particularly if the leaf mulch has been left, since this 

 might, and probably would, break the tender little stems 



