176 Gardening 
boards cut to the right 
form and nailed together. 
A few holes, $ inch in 
diameter, should be 
bored in the bottom to 
allow good drainage. 
It is well to make 
flats of such sizes that 
they will fit into avail- 
able hotbeds and cold 
frames without loss of 
space. Six flats, 20X14 
inches, conveniently fil 
a single sash 6X3 feet 
States Relations Service i area. Smaller flats, 
Fic. ror. The easiest way to make a flat. however, are easier for 
‘children to handle. 
The seed may be germinated .in small earthen pans 
or in small boxes (cigar boxes will do), filled with 
ordinary garden loam mixed with sand, and the seedlings 
“picked”? out, after germination, into the larger flats 
containing richer soil. 
Soil for the flats. A good soil for the seed flat is made 
by mixing sand with the ordinary garden loam. If 
a rich soil containing decaying manure and compost is 
used, it,is likely to force the young plants too rapidly 
and lead to development of “‘ damping-off ”’ diseases. 
For filling flats to which seedlings are to be trans- 
planted, a good soil can be made from equal parts of sand, 
good garden soil, and well-rotted manure or compost. 
Sift the sand and soil through a fine sieve (galvanized 
