FOR THE SOUTHERN STATES, 91 
SOWING SEEDS. 
Some seeds are sown at once where they are to remain and mature. Others 
are sown in seed beds and transplanted afterwards. Seeds should be covered ac- 
cording to their sizes, a covering of earth twice the size of the seed is about the max- 
imum. Some seeds, such as Beans, Corn and Peas, can be covered from one to two 
inches, and they will come up well. Here isa difference again: Wrinkled Peas 
and Sugar Corn have to be covered lighter and more carefully than marrowfat 
Peas or the common varieties of Corn. It depends upon the nature of the soil, sea- 
son of the year, ete. For instance, in heavy wet soils seeds have to be covered 
lighter than in sandy light ground. Seeds which are sown during summer in the 
open ground, such as Beets and Carrots, should be soaked over night in water and: 
rolled in ashes or plaster before sowing; they will come up quicker. When they 
are sown in a seed bed, the ground should-be light enough not to bake after a 
rain. Some varieties of seeds require shade when sown during the summer, such 
as Cauliflower, Celery and Lettuce. Care should be taken to have the shade at 
least three feet from the ground, and shade only after the sun has been on the bed 
for two or three hours; and remove again early in the afternoon, so the plants may 
become sturdy. If too much shaded they will be drawn up, long-legged, and not 
fit to be set out in the open ground. The most successful cabbage planters in this 
neighborhood sow their seeds in the open ground, towards the end of July and dur- 
ing August, and give them no shade but water, and keep the ground moist from 
the day of sowing till the plants are transplanted. Seeds should be sown thinly 
in the seed bed. If plants.come up too thickly they are apt to damp off. 
Lettuce seed should be sprouted during the hot months before sowing, accord- 
ing to directions given for June. 
To sow Turnips on a large seale during late summer and early fall months, the 
ground should be prepared in advance, and the seed sown just before or during a 
rain. Small pieces of ground, of course, can be sown at any time and watered 
afterwards. For covering all kinds of seeds, a fork is preferable to a rake; with 
either implement, care must be taken not to cover the seeds too deep. Beans, Peas 
and Corn are covered with the hoe. Some fine seeds, such as Thyme or Tobacco, 
are covered enough when pressed with the back of the spade to the ground. The 
seedsman is often blamed for selling seeds which have not come up, when the 
same are perfectly good, but, perhaps, through ignorance thé party by whom they 
were sown, placed them too deep or too shallow in the ground, or the ground may 
have been just moist enough to swell the seeds, and they failed to come up. At 
other times washing rains after sowing beat the ground and form a crust that the 
seeds are not able to penetrate, or, if there is too much fresh manure in the ground, 
it will burn the seed, and destroy its vitality. ' 
When seeds, such as Beans, Cucumbers, Melons and Squash, are planted before 
it is warm enough, they are very apt to rot if it rains. 
