Planting the Garden 



of these implements, an iron rake, and work 

 the soil over and over until it is as fine as it 

 can possibly be made. The importance of 

 this may not be understood by the amateur 

 gardener, but a little consideration of the 

 matter will make the reason clear to him. 

 Small seeds will not germinate readily, or surely, 

 in coarse soil, nor will the tender, delicate 

 roots of seedlings get the support they need 

 from such a soil. This being the case, it is 

 always advisable to pulverize that part of the 

 row in which seed is to be sown to the last 

 degree of fineness. There is no danger of over- 

 doing this part of the work. Potatoes, com, 

 beans, peas, and vegetables of that kind will 

 not require so fine a soil as those having small 

 seeds, but care should be taken to have all 

 soil free from lumps, no matter what kind of 

 seed you plant in it. 



Until of late years, seed-sowing was a sort 

 of hit-or-miss performance. You might hit it 

 exactly right, and you might miss it altogether. 

 The method generally employed was to make 

 furrows in the ground by drawing a stick or 

 the hoe-handle along it, scatter the seed in 

 them, from the fingers, and cover with loose 



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