122 THE BEGINNER'S GARDEN BOOK 



end, for perhaps two inches, into the shape of the blade of a 

 table knife. Make the edge fairly sharp, so that it will cut 

 into the moist earth with little disturbance of the particles. 

 Our tool is now a kind of trowel for lifting small plants or for 

 drawing lines in the soil, with an end that can be used for 

 making holes for seed, or in pushing the tiny seed into place. 



For smoothing the surface, a sharp-edged, straight ruler, 

 such as any one can make, is useful. It should be almost the 

 inner length of the shortest flat, so that it can be used in 

 any of them. The broader it is, the better. Or a float, 

 easily made of a block of wood of the proper size, with a strip 

 tacked on to use as a handle, may be used for the same 

 purpose. 



The seed is now ready for us, having been already tested. 

 It should be sowed in the flats so carefully that neither 

 seed nor space is wasted. As most seedlings can be trans- 

 planted (except for those of the squashes, of which I will 

 speak later) we may sow the seed pretty closely. Counting 

 on some natural or accidental loss, and always expecting to 

 give away some of the plants, we had better sow twice as 

 many seed as we shall want plants. In gardening we should 

 always plant too much, in order to be sure to have enough. 

 Calculate, then, how many plants of the various kinds will 

 be needed in the outdoor garden ; multiply by two ; and 

 then see how much space will be needed in the flats. We 

 shall sow either broadcast, scattering the seed a quarter- 

 inch apart evenly over the whole space; or else we shall 

 sow in rows about two inches apart, the seed a quarter inch 

 apart in the rows. We shall find that it does not take much 

 space in the flats to provide for a good-sized garden out of 

 doors. 



In the flats we shall cover the seed to about twice its own 

 depth. Having decided just where the seed is to go, we 



