PETER HENDERSON & CO.— INTRODUCTORY. 



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^*>eed Rowing and jPtantincj* 



The following is an extract from an essay read by Mr. Peter 

 Henderson, before The National Association of Nurserymen, Seedsmen 

 and Florists, at their annual meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1879. The 

 great value of its practical suggestions was then, and has since been 

 freely acknowledged by hundreds of experienced cultivators. 



For some years past I have, in -writing on gardening 

 matters, insisted upon the great importance of "firming*' 

 the soil over the seeds, after sowing, especially when the 

 soil is dry, or likely to become so. 1 know of no operation 

 of more importance in either the farm or garden, and I 

 trust that what I am about to say will be read and renum- 

 bered by every one not yet aware of the vast importance 

 of the practice. 1 say "vast Importance," for the loss to 

 the agricultural and horticultural community, from the 

 habit of loosely sowing seeds or planting plants in hot or 

 dry soils, is of a magnitude 'Which few will believe, until 

 they have witnessed it; audit is a loss all the more to be 

 regretted, when we know i hat by '•firming" the soil around 

 the seed or plant, there is, in most cases, a certain prevent- 

 ive. 



Particularly in the sowing of seeds I consider the matter 

 of such vast importance, that it cannot be too often or too 

 strongly told; for the loss to the agricultural and horticul- 

 tural community, by the neglect of the simple operation of 

 firming the soil around the seed, must amount to many 

 millions annually. For the misohief done is not confined 

 only to the less important garden operations, but even 

 Corn, Cotton, Wheat, Turnips, and other important crops 

 of the farm often fail, in hot or dry soils, by being sown 

 without being firmed sufficiently to prevent the dry air 

 shriveling or drying the seeds. Of course, the use of the 

 feet is impracticable in firming seeds on the farm, but a 

 heavy roller, applied after sowing, is an absolute necessity 

 under certain conditions of the soil, to insure perfect germ- 

 ination. From the middle of April to nearly the end of 

 May of this year, in many sections of the country, there 

 was little or no rain. Such was particularly the case in 

 the vicinity of New YorkCity. where we have hundreds of 

 market gardeners, who cultivate thousands of acres of 

 Cabbage, Cauliflower and Celery, but the "dry spring" has 

 played sad havoc with their seed-beds. Celery is not one- 

 fourth of a crop, and Cabbage and Cauliflower hardly half, 

 and i his failure is due to no other cause than that they per- 

 sist in sowing their seeds without ever taking the precau- 

 tion to firm the soil by rolling. 



We sow annually about i acres of Celery, Cabbage and 

 Cauliflower plants, which produce probably five millions 

 iu number, and which we never fail to sell largely in our 

 immediate neighborhood, to the market gardeners, who 

 have, many of them, even better facilities than we have 

 for raising these plants, if they would only do as we do, 

 firm the seed after sowing, which is done tlim : 



After plowing, harrowing, and leveling the land smooth- 

 ly, lines are drawn by the "marker," which makes a fur- 

 row about two inches deep and a foot apart : after the 

 man who sows the seed follows another, who, with the ball 

 of the right foot, presses down his full weigh ton every inch 

 of soil in the drill where tiie seed has been sown; the rows 

 are then lightly leveled longitudinally with the rake, a 

 light roller is passed over them, and the operation is done. 



By this method our crop has never once failed, ami what 

 is true of Celery and Cabbage seed is nearly true of all 

 other seeds requiring to be sown during the late spring or 

 summer months. 



On July 2d of 1874, as an experiment, I sowed 12 rows of 

 Sweet Corn, and 11 rows of Beets, treading in, after sow- 

 ing, every alternate row of each. In both cases, those trod 



in came upin four days, while those unflrmed remained IS 

 days before starting, and would not then have germinated 

 had not rain fallen, for the soil was dry as dust when the 

 seed was sown. 



The result was, that the seeds that had been trodden in 

 grew freely from the start, and matured their crops to a 

 marketable condition by fall; while the rows unflrmed did 

 not mature as they were not only 8 days laterin germinat- 

 ing, but the plants were also, to some extent, enfeebled by 

 being partially dried in the loose, dry soil. 



This experiment was a most useful one, for it proved that 

 a Corn crop, sown iu the vicinity of New York as late as 

 July 2, could be made to produce ' roasting ears" in Octo- 

 ber, when they never fail to sell freely at high rates, but 

 the crop would not mature unless the seed germinated at 

 once, and which would never be certain at that dry and 

 hot season, unlesR by this method. 



The same season, in August, I treated seeds of Turnips 

 and Spinach in the same way. Those trod in germinated 

 at once and made an excellent crop, while those unflrmed 

 germinated feebly, and were eventually nearly all burned 

 out by a continuance of dry, hot air penetrating through 

 the loose soil to the tender rootlets. 



I beg to caution the inexperienced, however, by no 

 means to tread or roll in seed if the ground is not dry. The 

 soil may often be in a suitable condition to sow, and yet be 

 too damp to be trodden upon or rolled. In such cases these 

 operations may not be necessary at all, for if rainy weather 

 ensue, the seeds will germinate of course; but if there is 

 any likelihood of a continued drought, the treading or roll- 

 ing may be done a week or more after the seed has been 

 sown, if there is any reason to believe that it may suffer 

 from the dry, hot air. Another verv important advantage 

 gained by treading in the seeds is, that when we have crops 

 of Beets, Celery, Turnips, Spinach, or anything else that is 

 sown in rows, the seeds to form the crop come up at once ; 

 while the seeds of the weeds, that are just as liable to per- 

 ish by the heat as are those of the crop, are retarded. 

 Such of the weed seeds as lie in the space between the rows 

 when the soil is loose, will not geminate as quickly as 

 those of the crop sown; and hence we can cultivate be- 

 tween the rows before the weeds germinate at all. 



Of course, this rule of treading in or firmi'ig seeds after 

 sowing, must not be blindly followed. Very early in spring 

 or late in fall, when the soil is damp, and there is no dan- 

 ger from heated, dry air, there is no necessity for doing so, 

 or even at other seasons the soil may be in a suitable con- 

 dition to sow, and yet be too damp to be trodden upon or 

 rolled. 



It has often been a wonder to many of us, who have been 

 workers in the soil for a generation, how some of the sim- 

 plest methods of culture have not been practiced until we 

 were nearly done with life's work, 



There are few of us but have had such experience ; per- 

 sonally, I must say that I never pass through a year but I 

 am confounded to find that some operation cannot only be 

 quicker done, but better done than we have been iu the 

 habit of doing it. 



These improvements loom up from various causes, but 

 mainly from suggestions thrown out by our employees in 

 charge of special departments, a system which we do all 

 in our power to encourage. 



