Good Seed, Full Weight and a Fair Price, 
8 
Having secured seed which we believe to be fresh and reliable, 
the first step toward securing a crop, is to sow or plant it in such 
a manner and at such a time that it may have a reasonable 
chance to grow. Seeds must be sown shallow or deep, according 
to their size and ability to push up through the soil. Small seeds 
are very apt to be sown too deep. If small seeds, like celery, 
lettuce, etc., were sown as deep as onion and beet seed, very few 
would ever appear above the ground, and the seedsman would be 
called a cheat, and his seed worthless, when the fault was wholly 
with the man who sowed the seed. Then, again, some seeds are 
hardy and can be sown as soon as the frost is out of the ground 
and it is dry enough to work, while others are tender and will 
rot if put into the ground before it becomes warm. 
Time of Sowing. —The following seeds may be safely sown 
early in the spring : Asparagus, Beet, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauli- 
flower, Celery, the hardy, early Sweet Corn, Cress, Lettuce, 
Onion, Parsnip, Peas, Radish, also Carrots, Spinach and Turnip 
for the early market. 
The following should not be sown or planted until the ground 
has become dry and warm ; and danger of frost is past : Beans, 
Cucumber, Carrot for a winter crop, the soft, late Sweet Corn, 
Melons, Peppers, Squash, Tomato and Turnip for a late crop. 
Lima Beans and Winter Squashes are especially liable to rot if 
planted before the ground has become dry and warm. Tomatoes, 
Peppers and Egg Plant should be started early in a hot-bed or in 
a box in the house. 
FIRMING- THE SOIL. 
Another important thing to be attended to is •'' firming " the soil 
over the seeds after sowing, if the soil is dry and warm. After 
sowing the seed, go over the rows, and with the ball of the foot, 
press down every inch of soil in the drill where the seed has been 
sown Then with a rake lightly level off the rows and the oper- 
ation is done. But this rule of firming the soil must not be fol- 
lowed unless the ground is . dry and warm. When the soil is 
damp, and there is no danger of dry or heated air drying out the 
seed, there is no necessity of treading it in. In such cases it is 
better not to do it. If a drought should follow after sowing the 
seed, and there is danger of the seed suffering from the dry, hot 
air, the firming may be done a week or more after the seed has 
been sown. 
When carrots and parsnips are sown after the ground has be- 
come dry, the ground should always be rolled after sowing, other- 
wise there will be danger of the heated air penetrating the loose, 
dry soil and destroying the vitality of the seed. When this can- 
not be done after sowing, it is a good plan to roll with a field 
roller before sowing. On my muck land I roll both before and 
after sowing. 
MANURE. 
It is a waste of time and money to attempt to grow crops 
either in the garden or on the farm, without manure and plenty 
of it. Every year I am more and more convinced that we do not 
use enough. If we would cultivate less acres and use more ma- 
nure, we would have a larger surplus over expenses. A poor 
crop only pays expenses and oftentimes not that. It is onlv good 
crops that pay a profit. 
As to the kind of manure, use all the stable or barn-yard 
manure you can make or get. Nothing is better or as good 
Then use all the commercial fertilizers you can afford to buy, and 
you can afford more than you suppose. It is money well invested 
that will pay 100 per cent, in six months, and the money paid out 
for manure and fertilizers frequently pays more than that If 
you doubt it, try it. 
