156 The Principles of Vegetable- Gardening 



soil, thereby drawing np the water and passing it into 

 the atmosphere, it is important that this condition 

 be allowed to remain only until the seeds have ger- 

 minated and are able to shift for themselves. The 

 seeds are kept moist at the expense of soil moisture. 

 Therefore, as soon as possible restore the surface 

 mulch by a rake or a smoothing harrow. Seeds which 

 are planted very deep, as peas, may have the soil com- 

 pacted about them, and the surface layer may be 

 loosened immediately thereafter, thereby preventing, 

 to some extent, the escape of the soil moisture. The 

 space between the rows should be kept well tilled, 

 even before the seeds germinate, thereby saving the 

 moisture in that area. In other words, rolling or 

 compacting the soil over seeds is only a temporary 

 expedient to enable them to germinate and to secure 

 their own foothold ; thereafter the surface mulch 

 should be maintained in order to save soil moisture. 



Seeds which germinate very slowly, as parsnips and 

 celery, should be sown thick in order that the com- 

 bined forces of the germinating plantlets may break the 

 crust on the soil. This caution is always necessary on 

 soils which tend to bake, whatever the kind of seed. 

 It is well to sow a few strong and quick -germinat- 

 ing seeds with those of slow- germinating species in 

 order to break the soil, and also to mark the row so 

 that tillage may be begun before the main -crop seeds 

 are up and before the weeds have taken possession of 

 the land. Seeds of radish, cabbage or turnip may be 

 sown in the row with celery, parsnips, carrots and the 

 like. In some cases, a crop of radish may be ob- 



