STARTING PLANTS 145 
and poor root development, while the opposite of this is 
desirable in the starting of all classes of plants. This 
tendency, however, is not marked, if proper moisture and 
temperature conditions are maintained. See Chapter V 
for details of soil preparation. 
Seed sowing.—The time of sowing should be deter- 
mined with extreme care. This will depend to some 
extent on the variety selected, for some varieties require 
more time to mature than others. Seasonal conditions, 
with special reference to the amount of sunshine and the 
rate of growth depending thereon, should also have con- 
sideration. But the most important factor is the demand 
of the market to be supplied. When will it pay the best 
prices for the various crops and when can they be grown 
most profitably, are questions which should be answered 
if possible before the seed is sown. 
Experience will soon teach the greenhouse gardener 
when each sowing should be made, so that he may have 
the seedlings ready for transplanting at the proper time. 
Experience will also enable him to determine rather 
definitely the quantity of seed to sow each time in order 
to produce the required number of plants. There should 
be no uncertainty, however, about this matter. It is often 
difficult, if not impossible, to make up the shortage by 
purchasing plants that may introduce insect or disease 
parasites. The safe policy is to sow an ample quantity 
of seed, even if thousands of plants must be discarded. 
With a larger number of plants than is actually needed, 
only the strongest may be used, and this will count for 
uniformity in size of plants during the entire period of 
growth. 
The soil should be fairly moist before the seeds are 
sown. This is important for two reasons: First, the soil 
works better; second, it receives water more rapidly, and 
the seeds are not so likely to be washed out of the ground 
by watering. 
