SEED SOWING 
137 
then to sow with thumb and fingers or with an envelope, 
as just indicated, and to cover with the fingers, or any 
device that may be convenient. For more complete in- 
formation on this subject, see Chapter XVI. 
198. Sowing with machines. — Seed sowers or drills are 
now indispensable in commercial gardening, because they 
do the work so much better and more rapidly than is 
possible by hand sowing. The seeds are deposited be- 
fore the soil has had time to dry out ; the depth of cover- 
ing is uniform and the soil is compacted after sowing; 
the rows are also straighter and the seeds can be dropped 
in hills, if this is desired. There are several standard 
makes of seed drills, all of them satisfactory when prop- 
erly used. A wheel hoe and a drill are sometimes com- 
bined in one implement, but the tool is not very popular 
with commercial growers because of the time and trou- 
ble necessary to convert drill to wheel hoe and vice versa. 
igg. Firming the soil. — It is nearly always an advan- 
tage to firm the soil after sowing. By this operation the 
seed is brought into close contact with the soil particles 
which furnish the moisture necessary for germination. 
Compacting is especially important in loose soils, because 
it makes the capillary action stronger and insures a 
larger percentage of germination. Peter Henderson 
claimed that the most valuable chapter he ever wrote 
was on “The Use of Feet” in market gardening. He often 
had men step foot over foot on plats of several acres 
where the rows were only 1 foot apart. The modern seed 
drill does the same work, but with less force, and the 
roller is used sometimes for this purpose. After covering 
the seed, gardeners often pat the soil with the hoe blade 
or the back of the shovel. When sowing under glass 
or in small beds, sticks or blocks are generally used. 
Dense and compact soils need very little of the above 
treatment after seed sowing. 
