THE FARM VEGETABLE GARDEN 



409 



Mechanical drills are much more widely used in home gardens than 

 ever before. Where fairly long rows are the rule, these implements are 

 great time savers and in addition they may be depended upon to distrib- 

 ute the seed uniformly both as to thickness and depth. The drill requires 

 as much skill for its adjustment as does the finger or envelope method. The 

 scale on the machine which shows the approximate rate of sowing for the 

 different seeds can be used only as a general guide, as there is wide variation 

 in the size of seed of each vegetable. 



Transplanting. — A seed consists of a miniature plant with its temporary 

 food supply enclosed in such protecting covering as is necessary to insure 

 safe removal to a situation far distant from the parent plant. This tiny 

 plant is accordingly well adapted for a shift. However, the gardener in his 

 eagerness for early fruition is not satisfied to let nature have her way. He 

 must remove a plant which has discarded its protecting coat and which has 

 already established its roots in the soil and begun to spread its branches in 

 the air. This modification of 

 nature's plan makes it necessary 

 to exercise special precaution if 

 he is to succeed. The soil should 

 be in good physical condition 

 and contain a reasonable amount 

 of moisture. If possible, the 

 work should be done on a cloudy 

 day or in the evening so that the 

 plant may recover from the shock 

 before it is exposed to the un- 

 broken rays of the sun. The 

 little plants may be protected by 

 special shading if it seems neces- 

 sary. Care should be exercised 



to remove a good-sized ball of earth with the plant, thus establishing the 

 foundling in its new place without serious disturbance of the roots. 

 Plants should ordinarily be set just a little deeper than they stood in 

 their previous place. 



It is not wise to set warm-blooded plants like tomatoes and cucumbers 

 exceedingly early, as they may be seriously stunted by cold weather, even 

 though there be no frost. Nevertheless, some gardeners set out a few plants 

 very early, expecting to replace them if necessary. 



Cultivation. — The word cultivation is a general term used in two or 

 three different ways. As here applied, it refers to the maintenance of a thin 

 layer of loose soil upon the surface of the garden throughout as much as 

 possible of the growing season. This mulch is of great value in retain inn 

 moisture, in keeping the soil in good physical condition and in checking the 

 growth of weeds. In small gardens the hand hoe and hand weeder will 

 serve every purpose without undue labor. Even more universally used than 



ScnvixG from Seed Package or Envelope. 



