90 GARDENS AND THEIR MEANING 



seeds it matters far less. Nevertheless it is true, on the 

 whole, that a shallow planting exposes seed to many dangers, 

 not the least of which is the hunger of birds and beasts. 

 On the other hand, to bury seed so deep that it decays before 

 it can even begin to struggle to the light brings sure failure. 



And yet who is clairvoyant enough to know exactly what 

 is happening underground ? A simple contrivance that re- 

 veals many a secret of germination is the planting box with 

 glass sides. 1 Several seeds of the same kind can thus be 

 planted at the same time and under the same conditions but 

 at different depths, and their progress can be watched from 

 day to day. The best depth for many seeds will be found to 

 vary from one eighth of an inch to one and one-quarter inches. 

 Squash, for instance, should be planted one inch deep, lettuce 

 one eighth of an inch, while early smooth peas must go in 

 four inches. A rule sometimes given is that the seeds which 

 carry their cotyledons above ground, as in the case of beans 

 or squash, should be covered by soil five times their thickness, 

 while those, like peas and others, which do not bring up their 

 cotyledons should be covered by ten times their thickness of 

 earth. In deciding the question, however, the expert always 

 takes into account such items as the character of the soil, 

 the temperature, and the amount of moisture. 



If rules for depth seem a little vague, it is equally difficult 

 to give precise ones for the amount of seed to be sown in a 

 given space. In spite of the pages of printed directions at 

 the gardener's disposal, the quantity of seed used will, in a 

 measure, have to be a matter of guesswork. Either of two 

 extremes will plunge the beginner into extravagance. One 

 extreme is to sow too scantily, the danger then being that 

 when some seeds die, as they surely will, great gaps will 

 stare him in the face, and the earth, left bare, will go to 



1 See Appendix, page 222. 



