Sowing and Planting 97 



table, (2) on the season of planting, and (3) on 

 weather conditions. Remember that the seed must 

 be suppHed with moisture both to germinate and to 

 continue to exist after germination; and also that 

 it must have soil through which the air can to some 

 extent penetrate. Keeping these things in mind, 

 common sense dictates that seed planted in the 

 spring, or during a wet spell of weather, will not 

 need to be put in as deeply as should the same seed in 

 summer or early autumn, or during a hot, dry spell. 



The old general rule is, to cover seed planted un- 

 der glass, where the moisture can be controlled, to a 

 depth of two or three times its diameter; and out-of- 

 doors, to four or five times. I should say these 

 depths were the minimums desirable. In other 

 words, the smallest seed, such as onion, carrot, let- 

 tuce, will go in one-quarter to one-half inch deep. 

 Beets, spinach, parsnips and other medium-sized 

 seed one-half to one inch deep, and peas, beans, corn, 

 etc., two to four inches deep — usually near the first 

 figure. 



After the seed is sown it is of course desirable 

 to keep the ground from baking or crusting on top, 

 as it is likely to do after a morning rain followed di- 

 rectly by hot sun. If the seed sprouts have not yet 

 reached the surface of the soil, rake very lightly 

 across the rows with an iron rake; if they have 

 broken through, work as close as possible to the 



.- 7 



