PETER HENDERSON & CO.— INTRODUCTORY. 



The Use of the Feet in Seed Sowing. 



The following article by our Mr. Peter Henderson originally appeared in the American Agricult- 

 urist, some four years ago, and the great value of its practical suggestions has since been freely ack- 

 nowledged by hundreds of experienced cultivators. This was particularly the case at the meeting of 

 the Nurserymen's, Florists', and Seedsmen's National Association, held at Cleveland, O., in June of 

 1879, when Mr. Henderson again discussed the subject in more extended detail. 



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

 ters, 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. I know cf no operation of more im- 

 portance in either the farm or garden, and I trust that what 

 I am about to say will be read and remembered by every 

 one not yet aware of the vast importance of the practice. I 

 say 'vast importance,' for the loss to the agricultural and 

 horticultural community from the habit of loosely sowing 

 seeds in hot and dry soils is of a magnitude which few will 

 believe until they have witnessed it ; and it is a loss all the 

 more to be regretted, when we know that by ' firming ' the 

 soil around the seed there is in most cases a certain preven- 

 tive. Some two years ago I related how our crop of nearly 

 two acres of celery plants was partially lost by neglecting 

 to tread in the seeds, the dry, heated air of May shrivelling 

 them and destroying their vitality. Profiting by that lesson, 

 I last season sowed two acres of celery seed (in quantity 

 about 20 lbs.), the rows being about nine inches apart— "the 

 marker ' deepening the line some two or three inches. After 

 the man who sowed the seed there followed another, who, 

 with the ball of his right foot, pressed down with his full 

 weight every inch of the soil over the seed. The ground was 

 then lightly touched with a rake to level it, a light roller 

 was then passed over it, and the operation was then com- 

 pleted. Our crop of plants, notwithstanding the intense 

 heat and drouth of the past summer, was as fine as it well 

 could be, every seed seeming to have germinated. Besides, 

 'this ' firming ' of the soil had also prevented the dry, hot air 

 from penetrating to the roots, so that though ve nearly 

 averaged 90 degrees during the month of July, hardly a 

 plant was burned off. Now, from the same bag of celery 

 se^d that produced these plants, we sold seed to some hun- 

 dreds of our customers, and we have already had scores of 

 letters asking why their celery seed did not come up ; not a 

 few of them insinuating that the seed they had obtained 

 was not good. To all such we, by letter, stated emphatically 

 the cause of failure, and I trust that all whose seeds of 

 celery or anything else fail to germinate, will first fairly in- 

 vestigate whether or not the fault has not been with them- 

 selves, rather than with the seed. Some years ago, as an 

 experiment, I sowed seeds of beets, turnips, corn and spin- 

 ach, in July, treading in every alternate row. The beets 

 and corn matured their crops in every instance where the 

 seed had been trodden in, and failed to do so where this had 

 not been done. In the case of the spinach and turnip seeds, 



the rows trod in germinated freely and at once, while the 

 rows of those that had been left loose nearly failed entirely. 

 The experiment was made with a view to show that beets of 

 all kinds sown as late as the first of July, when the seeds 

 germinate at once, have yet time to produce a crop, and 

 sweet corn has time enough to produce ears sufficiently ma- 

 ture for use in the green state, and, furthermore, to prove 

 what I had long believed, that thousands upon thousands of 

 acres of turnips fail from the want of ' firming ' the soil 

 when the seed is sown. Of course, if large areas are sown 

 in turnips, the treading in with the foot might not be practi- 

 cable, the next best thing is the roller, but that must be 

 heavy enough to effect the purpose. As I have before hinted 

 in the case of celery plants, the looseness of the soil not only 

 prevents rapid germination, but even if germination does 

 take place, and a long period of hot and dry weather fol- 

 lows, the young plant itself may be burned out, if the soil is 

 loose, so that the dry, heated air can penetrate to the weak 

 and tender root. This burning out after the seed has germ- 

 inated is sweeping in its effects on all seeds that are sown 

 after midsummer, such as spinach, beets, turnips, etc., if the 

 weather is dry and the soil loose. I beg to caution my inex- 

 perienced readers, 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 con- 

 tinued drouth, the treading or rolling 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 

 very 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 perish 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 germinate 

 as quickly as those of the crop sown; and hence we can cul- 

 tivate between the rows before the weeds germinate at all. 

 Such was our experience the past season in the two acres of 

 celery plants alluded to, as the rows of celery were clearly 

 defined before the weeds had germinated at all, so that the 

 hoe was applied at once, rendering the cost of culture less 

 than one half what it would have been had the seeds of the 

 celery and those of the weeds started simultaneously." 



WHEN TO SOW VEGETABLE SEEDS, 



Vegetable seeds that may be sown in this latitude, from 

 the middle of March to the end of April, thermometer in 

 the shade averaging 45 degrees. 



Beets, Cabbage, Lettuce, Peas, 



Carrot, Cauliflower, Onions, Radish, 



Celery, Endive, Parsnip, Spinach, 



Cress, Kale, Parsley, Turnip. 



Vegetable seeds that may be sown in the open ground in 

 this latitude, from the middle of May to the middle of 

 June, thermometer in the shade averaging 60 degrees. 

 Lima Beans, Cucumber, Pumpkin, 



Bush Beans, Musk Melon, Tomato, 



Pole Beans, Water Melon, Squash, 



Sweet Corn, Okra, Nasturtium. 



