LUTHER BURBANK 



which are of the utmost importance. The box is 

 then filled, to within about an inch of the top, 

 with the sand or special soil. Make the filling a 

 little shallower for fall planting, when we expect 

 much cool, damp weather, and slow growth, to 

 prevent drowning or "damping off" of the seed- 

 lings during the winter; a little deeper for spring 

 planting, to prevent too sudden drjnlng out, and 

 otherwise to regulate the amount of moisture. 



This may seem like a matter of small conse- 

 quence, but such details often determine success 

 or failure. 



The Seedling Kindergarten 



All ordinary seeds are sown quite thickly in 

 the boxes and covered lightly with the same soil, 

 according to the size of the seed — ^just a dusting 

 of soil for the finest of seeds, and an eighth to a 

 quarter of an inch for the larger ones. 



In testing new varieties, ten or twenty different 

 kinds of seeds may be planted in sections in one 

 box, each marked with a small wooden label, 

 tacked on the upper edge of the box with the 

 name, or the reference-book number, of the seeds. 

 After the seeds are planted, the surface is pressed 

 down with a flat piece of board until it is level, 

 smooth, and solid. 



Instead of watering the surface by any sprink- 

 ling process from above, the boxes are placed, 



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