88 HORTICULTURE FOR SCHOOLS 



on the soil, crop, and method of watering to be used. By 

 means of a hoe or stick, a trench is made into which the seeds 

 are dropped. Seeds may also be planted with a drill, a very 

 rapid method. The depth of planting is important (see 

 paragraph 68). Seeds sown in the spring in moist soil not 

 likely to dry out quickly are planted less deeply than the 

 same kinds of seed when sown later in the summer. In 

 planting small beds it is convenient to stand on a board while 

 making the trench and sowing and covering the seed. The 

 edge of the board will serve also as a guide in making a 

 straight trench. Where the rows are longer, a wire or cord, 

 stretched between two stakes, will help the gardener to keep 

 them straight. Light soils should be pressed down firmly over 

 the seeds to keep them moist so they will germinate readily. 

 The thickness for sowing seed varies with the variety and 

 habit of growth of the plants. Seeds should be sown thickly 

 if they are low in viability or if the weather and soil condi- 

 tions are unfavorable. 



142. Transplanting. Seeds may be sown in the garden or 

 in flats, or in hotbeds and later transplanted out-of-doors. 

 Some plants, including the cabbage, do best when trans- 

 planted. Early kinds are obtained in this way as they may 

 be started before it would be safe to grow them outside. 

 Many times it is necessary to "harden off" the young plants 

 by transferring them to coldframes before setting them out 

 in the open. The same effect is obtained by moving the 

 flats out-of-doors before the plants are transplanted to the 

 garden. 



143. Cultivating. After the plants are up, frequent cul- 

 tivation is necessary to keep down weeds and to conserve 

 moisture. When the garden is large enough, this work should 

 be done with the aid of a horse, but on small areas a hand 

 cultivator on wheels is a time-saving device. A considerable 

 amount of hand hoeing and weeding is also necessary in the 

 vegetable-garden . 



