146 VEGETABLE FORCING 
Whether the seed is sown broadcast or in drills is 
largely a matter of preference. The work may be done 
quicker by broadcasting. This method also results in a 
more even distribution of plants, a factor considered im- 
portant by some growers. On the other hand, the drill 
method makes possible the application of water between 
the rows without wetting the plants. The plants are 
easily and quickly pulled at the time of transplanting, and 
remain in better order for this operation, thus saving 
more time perhaps than the extra labor caused by sowing 
in drills rather than by broadcasting. 
When drills are used, the furrows for lettuce, tomatoes 
and seeds of similar size are usually about one-fourth of 
an inch deep. The furrows are made with thin, narrow 
strips of wood, such as a piece of plastering lath. The 
seed may be sown with the thumb and finger or by the 
use of an envelope. 
Whatever plan is used, it is exceedingly important to 
sow the seed thin enough to prevent crowding. Ordi- 
narily, eight to ten plants to each linear inch of the fur- 
row are as many as will produce a stocky growth. If 
the plants are to be pricked out very soon after they are 
up, there is no objection to growing probably 15 
to the inch. The furrows are quickly closed by the use 
of the fingers or by drawing a pot label along each side 
of the rows. After the furrows are closed the soil should 
be firmed with a block of wood, and the beds thoroughly 
watered. Lettuce is generally sown broadcast. 
Transplanting.—Most growers prefer to make the first 
shift when the rough or true leaves are partly formed, 
which will be in three or four weeks from the date of 
sowing. Others prick the plants out in 10 to 15 days, and 
believe that this practice is favorable to the growth of 
stocky plants. It is certain that there should be no 
crowding of the plants in the flats or seed bed, and this 
may be prevented by thinning or early transplanting. 
