For the Southern States. 21 



SOWING SEEDS, 



Some seeds are sown at once where they are to remain and mature. 

 Others are sown in seed beds and transplanted afterAvards. Seeds 

 should be covered according to their sizes, a covering of earth twice 

 the size of the seed is about the maximum. Some seeds, such as 

 Beans, Corn and Peas, can be covered from one to two inches, and 

 they will come up well. Here is a 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, season of the year, etc. For instance, in heavy 

 wet soil 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 w^ater and rolled 

 in ashes or plaster before sowing ; they will come up quicker. AYhen 

 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 Cauliflow^er, 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 wall be draw^n up, long- 

 legged, and not fit to be set out in the open ground. The most suc- 

 cessful cabbage planters in this neighborhood sow their seeds in the 

 open ground, towards the end of July and during 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, according to directions given for June. 



To sow Turnips on a large scale 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 w^ith 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 the party by wdiom thej were sown, placed them 

 too deep or too shallow in the ground, or the ground may have l^een 

 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 se'eds are not able to penetrate, or, if there is too much 

 fresh manure in the ground, it Vs'ill 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- 



