176 Growing Flowers 



at all after a year and very few will produce good 

 plants. 



A seed drill will be most convenient in planting 

 seeds on a large parcel of ground. The use of this 

 implement is not only more convenient, but the 

 seed will be more regular. 



Slightly damp soil is preferable for seed planting 

 than soil which is really wet, or soil which is dry. A 

 good test is to take a bit of soil into the hand and 

 squeeze it. If the impression of the hand is on 

 the soil when released it is too wet, but if the earth 

 crumbles, it is in excellent condition for seed 

 sowing. There is too little air in really wet soil, 

 and seeds require air as well as heat and moisture 

 in order to germinate. 



The majority of seed will germinate successfully 

 under an air temperature of 6o° Fahrenheit and a 

 soil temperature of from 6$° to 70 . The soil tem- 

 perature should always be a few degrees higher 

 than the temperature of the surrounding air. 



In planting seed on a hot summer day, small seeds 

 should be covered with a board for the first few 

 days after planting in order that they may be kept 

 damp enough to germinate, otherwise the heat will 



