46 THE NURSERY-MANUAL 



Over the moss, coarse siftings from the soil may be placed, 

 while on top only the finest and best soil should be used. The 

 smaller the seeds, the more care must be exercised in the sowing. 

 The proper depth for sowing varies directly with the size 

 of the seed. A direct advantage of very fine soil for small 

 seeds is the greater exactness of depth of covering which it 

 allows. Very small seeds should be sown on the surface, 

 which has previously been well firmed and leveled, and then 

 covered with a very thin layer of finely sifted soil or a little 

 old and dead moss rubbed through a sieve. This covering 



should be scarcely deeper than the 

 thickness of the seeds ; that is, the 

 seeds should be barely covered. 

 Many persons prefer pressing the 



FIG. 25. Planting stick. seeds into the Soil with a block ' Or 



if one has a close propagating-box, 

 the seeds may remain on the surface and sufficient moisture 

 will be supplied from the atmosphere. 



Such fine seeds are rarely watered directly, as even the 

 most careful treatment would be likely to dislodge them. 

 The soil is usually well watered before the seeds are sown, or 

 moisture may be supplied by inserting the pot in water nearly 

 to its rim for a few minutes. If water is applied from a rose, 

 a thin cloth should first be spread on the soil to hold it. Celery 

 seeds, in outdoor beds, are often sown on a smoothly prepared 

 surface and are then pressed in by means of the feet or a board. 

 Cover to prevent evaporation should be given all small seeds. 

 This may be a board or a slate slab at first, but as soon as the 

 plants appear glass should be substituted to admit light. 

 (See pages 16, 17.) 



Large seeds demand much less care as to depth of cover- 

 ing, as a rule. One-fourth or one-half inch is a good depth 

 for most coarse seeds indoors. If one wishes to gauge the 

 depth accurately, the drills may be made by a planting stick, 



