20 Richard Frotscherh Almanac and Garden Manual 



ground is too wet to dig out eighteen inches deep and then throw 

 in the manure and trample down as recommended in the North. 

 A few haiTl rains, such as we frequently have in winter, and the 

 manure would become so soaked beneath the ground that the 

 heat would be gone. Another advantage, when the frame is put 

 above the ground is, that it will go down with the manure gradu- 

 ally, and there remains always the same space between the glass 

 and the ground. If the ground is dug out and the manure i)ut 

 into the frame, the ground will sink down so low after a short 

 time that the sun will have little effect upon it, and plants will 

 become spindly. 



SOWING eEEDS, 



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

 mature. Others are sown in seed beds and transplanted after- 

 wards. Seeds should be covered according to their size, a cover- 

 ing 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 differ- 

 ence 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 Car- 

 rots, 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 Caulitlower, Celery and Let- 

 tuce. 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 after- 

 noon, so the plants may become sturdy. If too much shaded they 

 will be drawn up, long-legged, and not lit to set out in the open 

 ground. The most successful cabbage-planters in this neighboi- 

 hood sow their s^ed 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 ])lants are trans- 

 planted. Seed 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, 



