CULTURAL DIRECTIONS 
333 
tom of berry baskets or dirt bands before filling' with 
soil. Six to eight seeds should be planted in each, and 
the plants then thinned to the strongest two or four. It 
is customary to leave only two plants, while a greater 
fieM area may be covered by starting four together and 
then spacing more liberally in the field than if there 
were only two in each hill. 
The seeds should not be sown more than a month 
before the time for hill planting, for if too far advanced 
there will be danger of a check in growth when the plants 
are transferred to the field. A night temperature of 60 
degrees and a day temperature of 70 are suitable for 
germination and the growth of the plants. The plants 
should be hardened by moderate watering and by free 
ventilation before setting in the field. 
437. Soil preparation. — Early plowing and frequent 
harrowing before planting are important. It is often 
possible to grow a green manurial crop in the fall to plow 
down in the spring. For the early crop some growers 
prefer to throw up the land into slight ridges, thus secur- 
ing better drainage and somewhat warmer soil conditions. 
438. Fertilizing. — Large yields of high quality are 
greatly favored by a constant, unchecked growth, accom- 
plished by providing proper physical as well as chemical 
properties of the soil. The roots attain the best develop- 
ment in soils abounding in vegetable matter. For this 
reason, stable manures have been found particularly val- 
uable. They should be well decayed, unless applied a 
month or more in advance of planting. If the supply of 
manure is abundant, it may be applied broadcast, but it 
will go farther and produce better results in soils of 
moderate fertility when applied in the hills or furrows. 
A popular and successful practice in some trucking sec- 
tions is to open the furrows about a month before it is time 
to plant, distribute the manure, turn back the soil and 
mix soil and manure thoroughly with a convenient form 
