SEED SOWING I37 



then to sow with thumb and fingers or with an envelope, 

 as just indicated, and to cover with the fingers, or any 

 device that may be convenient. For more complete in- 

 formation on this subject, see Chapter XVI. 



198. Sowing with machines. — Seed sowers or drills are 

 now indispensable in commercial gardening, because they 

 do the work soi much better and more rapidly than is 

 possible by hand sowing. The seeds are deposited be- 

 fore the soil has had time to dry out ; the depth of cover- 

 ing is uniform and the soil is compacted after sowing; 

 the rows are also straighter and the seeds can be dropped 

 in hills, if this is desired. There are several standard 

 makes of seed drills, all of them satisfactory when prop- 

 erly used. Figure 29 shows the drills used most exten- 

 sively. A wheel hoe and a drill are sometimes combined 

 in one implement, but the tool is not very popular with 

 commercial growers. 



199. Firming the soil. — It is nearly always an advan- 

 tage to firm the soil after sowing. By this operation the 

 seed is brought into close contact with the soil particles 

 which furnish the moisture necessary for germination. 

 Compacting is especially important in loose soils, because 

 it makes the capillary action stronger and insures a 

 larger percentage of germination. Peter Henderson 

 claimed that the most valuable chapter he ever wrote 

 was on "The Use of Feet" in market gardening. He often 

 had men step foot over foot on plats of several acres 

 where the rows were only i foot apart. The modern seed 

 drill does the same work, but with less force, and the 

 roller is used sometimes for this purpose. After covering 

 the seed, gardeners often pat the soil with the hoe blade 

 or the back of the shovel. When sowing under glass 

 or in small beds, sticks or blocks are generally used. 

 Dense and compact soils need very little of the above 

 treatment after seed sowing. 



