90 
GARDENS AND THEIR MEANING 
seeds it matters far less. Nevertheless it is true, on the 
whole, that a shallow planting exposes seed to many dangers, 
not the least of which is the hunger of birds and beasts. 
On the other hand, to bury seed so deep that it decays before 
it can even begin to struggle to the light brings sure failure. 
And yet who is clairvoyant enough to know exactly what 
is happening underground } A simple contrivance that re- . 
veals many a secret of germination is the planting box with 
glass sides. ^ Several seeds of the same kind can thus be 
planted at the same time and under the same conditions but 
at different depths, and their progress can be watched from 
day to day. The best depth for many seeds will be found to 
vary from one eighth of an inch to one and one-quarter inches. 
Squash, for instance, should be planted one inch deep, lettuce 
one eighth of an inch, while early smooth peas must go in 
four inches. A rule sometimes given is that the seeds which 
carry their cotyledons above ground, as in the case of beans 
or squash, should be covered by soil five times their thickness, 
while those, like peas and others, which do not bring up their 
cotyledons should be covered by ten times their thickness of 
earth. In deciding the question, however, the expert always 
takes into account such items as the character of the soil, 
the temperature, and the amount of moisture. 
If rules for depth seem a little vague, it is equally difficult 
to give precise ones for the amount of seed to be sown in a 
given space. In spite of the pages of printed directions at 
the gardener’s disposal, the quantity of seed used will, in a 
measure, have to be a matter of guesswork. Either of two 
extremes will plunge the beginner into extravagance. One 
extreme is to sow too scantily, the danger then being that 
when some seeds die, as they surely will, great gaps will 
stare him in the face, and the earth, left bare, will go to 
1 See Appendix, page 222. 
