Karch 8, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
177 
O N the preparation of the ground for seed sowing depends the 
even and certain appearance of the plants, their free growth 
afterwards, and the ultimate value of crops. A good tilth is 
indispensable to a favourable seed bed, whether the crop to be 
grown is one of weeds or useful produce, for the laws of Nature 
are the same in both cases. A rough, fallow field will not 
produce a luxuriant crop of Charlock, but corn fields are often 
golden with it, and root crops would be choked by it but for 
the horse and hand hoe. The difference is because the fallow is 
rough and cloddy, but the corn land has been mellowed by the 
frosts of the winter, the aeration effected by ploughing, and the 
reduction to fine particles by harrowing. It is also necessary 
that the land be in good heart, yet it is no use having all the 
elements of fertility locked in it. Tilth is essential to the 
conservation of the moisture which the seed requires, and the 
ultimate growth of the plants by the facilities afforded for the 
free action of roots. Tilth also means the diffusion of the 
manurial elements through the soil for forming a nutrient 
solution for the absorption by the all-important root hairs of 
plants. Stufiing land with “muck,” which may be rank and sour, 
may, and generally does, disappoint the grower, for it is not 
sufficient that the earth contain chemically all the elements of 
fertility, but the value of these depends on the physical conditions 
of the soil. 
Assuming that stiff soil has been dug in the winter it is a good 
plan to choose a dry day, when the land is in proper condition 
for forking, to break it up and smash all lumps as small as 
possible. This will admit air into the soil, the importance of 
which cannot be over-valued. If the medium is very stubborn 
a dressing of quicklime, fresh slaked, fioury, and hot, will be 
of immense advantage chemically and physically. It will act, as 
Mr. F. Dunn says, on the authority of Mr. John Hughes, F.C.S., 
on page 153 of the present volume of the Journal of Horticulture^ 
by “ decomposing the insoluble silicates of potash and rendering 
them available as plant food—unlocking the hidden treasures of 
the soil,” and it will also improve the staple ; more, it will make 
speedy work of slugs and destructive grubs which are awaiting 
a crop being sown or set to prey upon the tender roots or stems. 
After the land has been dried in the manner described it will 
have fallen into a powdery surface. It should neither clog the 
implement nor stick to the feet. A fine tilth of a couple of 
inches in depth or more will drill easily and the soil be in the 
right condition for covering the seeds. 
Light soils merely require turning a short time before 
sowing to be in suitable condition for the reception of seeds. 
Medium textured land crumbles readily after rain. All soils alike 
need a good tilth for seed sowing. The surface mould acts as a 
mulch, protects the stores of moisture and of nutrition beneath, 
this being not only conserved but increased by occasional slight 
stirrings of the surface with the hoe. This breaks the capillary 
tubes, and the water and nutrition drawn from below by the sun 
instead of passing too rapidly into the air is retained in the earth 
for the support of plants and crops. 
Some soils receive all the manure that is deemed necessary or 
obtainable at the time of digging in the autumn, so that the medium 
may be in the right condition for the crop by the spring. For land 
No. 715.—VoL. XXVIII., Third Series. 
requiring full enrichment the practice may be correct, but I have 
taken a great dislike to raw manure, as its decomposition in the 
soil is a slow process, and liable to foster insects and fungi, which 
delight in decomposing organic remains. If the land has not been 
enriched, decayed, yet not exhausted, manure may be applied, and 
pointed in from 4 to 6 inches deep in the spring. Light land 
would derive benefit from a dressing of kainit, especially for root 
crops, using 2 lbs. per rod, and if further need of a stimulant is 
required a peck of soot may be applied with advantage. Lime is 
not desirable for light land unless it contains a quantity of manure, 
or is deficient in lime, in which case gypsum would act beneficially. 
These substances not only possess manurial value, but tell greatly 
in favour of the crops by acting to the prejudice of insect larvae. 
This is important for many seeds only germinate to have their 
radicles and plumules eaten as soon as they emerge from their 
envelopes, and I find nothing favours the vermin more than a rough 
seed bed. 
The bed for the seeds should not only be fine, but it must be 
moist, for unless the seed absorbs moisture no motion of the 
contents of the germ cells takes place. When germination begins, 
and the half-sprouted seed is allowed to dry, growth ceases. Seeds 
of most garden plants vegetate the most healthfully when the 
ground is moist, but not wet, excess of water often causing seeds 
to decay. Choose, therefore, a time for general seed-sowing when 
the ground is neither wet nor dry, and if covered at once with, 
fine soil germination will quickly ensue. 
Seeds sprout within certain more or less narrow limits of 
warmth. Some will grow in a temperature of 40°, such as Parsnips 
and Onions, while Peas require a temperature of 44°, Scarlet 
Runners 50°, and Vegetable Marrows 54°. These are minimums, for 
Sachs found that Peas germinated the most rapidly at a tempera¬ 
ture of 84°, Scarlet Runners 79°, and Vegetable Marrows 93°. This 
is a hint worth acting on—a seed committed to the earth below 
the minimum temperature needed for vegetation may preserve 
its vitality, but in excessive moisture it is more likely to decay. 
Even with a minimum temperature the production of rootlets^ 
buds, and leaves is retarded. It is best, therefore, to wait until 
the weather is favourable for the speedy germination of the seeds, 
as the seedlings will then have a chance of growing freely. The 
end of March or the beginning of April is soon enough to sow 
Onions in the north of England, Carrots a fortnight later, while 
early in May is soon enough for Beet. Of course, there is a great 
variety of garden crops and times of seed sowing, but it is better to 
be on the side of being rather late than much too early in placing 
seeds in the ground. 
Oxygen from the air is essential to the germination of seeds. 
Practically that means they must not be buried too deeply, for 
unless oxygen can reach them freely there will be no excitement of 
the embryo. Hence seeds retain their vitality for years when buried 
deeply in the earth because they are shut off from oxygen. Some 
persons may say darkness is essential for germination. Nature does 
not cover seeds, but scatters them on the earth. They may be 
half buried in debris, but are by no means removed from the light. 
Small seeds such as Begonia, Calceolaria, Heaths, Fern (spores), 
Rampion and others germinate best when uncovered, provided the 
right conditions of moisture are secured. Common garden seeds 
will sprout when placed on moist sand, moss, sawdust, or cocoa-nut 
fibre refuse with as much certainty as when buried. 
The soil is the medium of moisture and warmth to the seed, 
and it affects germination only as it influences the supply of these 
agencies. The burying of seeds is a cultural process—not an 
essential of germination—and prevents their being dried up, also 
protects them from birds. Yet this is not enough in many cases to 
preserve the seeds, for rats and mice will bring Peas and Broad 
Beans from beneath 2 or 3 inches of earth, and birds pluck 
up seedlings of various kinds. It is the duty of the cultivator to 
hinder them. I find Peas and Broad Beans coated with petroleum. 
No. 2371 .—Yol. XC., Old Series. 
