Fo'i the Southern States. 



21 



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 se'liiig seeds which have not come up, when 

 the same are perfectly good, but, ])erhaps, through ignorance the 

 party by whom they were sown placed them too deep or too shal- 

 low in the ground j 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 5 or if there is too 

 much fresh manure in the ground it will burn the seed and destroy 

 its vitality. 



Where seeds, such as Beans, Cucumbers, Melons and Squash, 

 are planted before it is warm enough, they are very apt to rot if 

 it rains. 



