April, 1913 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
291 
back and forth in a way which will fill up all little unevennesses 
on the surface but without digging up any stones, weeds, sod 
or manure which may be harrowed 
under. 
The object in giving this final 
preparation just previous to plant¬ 
ing is to have a moist surface for 
that important operation. A finely 
pulverized soil rapidly becomes 
dried up for an inch or so on the 
top and will crumble and fall into 
any furrow or hole that you may 
make for sowing seeds or planting, 
thus interfering more or less with 
your getting that operation done 
to perfection, for the seeds or the 
plant roots must be placed in fresh, 
moist soil in order to secure quick 
and sufficiently vigorous reaction. 
Even with seeds of good, strong 
vitality, and with a 
properly prepared 
seed-bed, sometimes it 
happens that a full 
“stand’' is not secured. 
Several of these slips 
twixt the cup and the 
lip are, too deep plant¬ 
ing, planting at a 
season unsuitable for 
the seed which is put 
in, or when the 
ground is too wet and 
cold, causing rot, etc. 
In order that the be¬ 
ginner may not find 
too late that he has 
made one of these 
various possible mis¬ 
takes, I mention some¬ 
what in detail the 
several matters which 
are to be taken into 
consideration in plant¬ 
ing. 
It is much safer to 
go by the season than 
by the calendar. Any 
date given for planting, therefore, 
which you may come across, either in 
this article or in any table you may be 
using, should be considered as ap¬ 
proximate and not to be gone by ab¬ 
solutely. There is planting of various 
sorts to be done almost every week in 
the season from early in April, or as 
soon as the ground is dried out enough 
to be properly prepared, until late in 
the fall when such crops as lettuce and 
radishes in the cold frames, or onions 
and spinach to be wintered over in the 
open ground, are sown. The garden 
vegetables may be divided approxi¬ 
mately into two classes : The “hardy” 
sorts which may be put in early in the 
spring in April and May or before all 
danger of late frost is over, and the 
real warm weather has begun; and the late or “tender" sorts 
which should not be planted, both on account of danger of in¬ 
jury from the latest frosts, and 
also because absolutely nothing is 
gained by putting them in even 
where they escape a freeze, until 
the ground has become thoroughly 
warmed up. Such tropical heat- 
loving plants as tomatoes and 
peppers will not be any the earlier 
and may be severely checked by 
being set out too soon by the over 
anxious gardener. 
There is an old rule that seeds 
should be covered to a depth of 
some four times their diameter. 
But as most amateur gardeners 
are not in the habit of carrying a 
pocket micrometer about with 
them, it would be perhaps more 
helpful though not as 
concise to say that 
small seeds, such as 
radish, lettuce or 
onions should be 
covered to a depth of 
one-fourth to one-half 
an inch; medium¬ 
sized seeds, such as 
beets, spinach and 
parsnips, one-half to 
one inch; and larger 
seeds such as peas, 
beans and corn at a 
depth of two to four 
inches. But the season 
at which the planting 
is done and also the 
weather at the time of 
planting must be 
taken into considera¬ 
tion as well as the size 
of the seeds. 
The first planting 
of peas and beans 
should be as shallow 
as one or two inches 
because at this season 
there is still plenty of moisture in the 
top layer of the soil, which is more 
warmed up than that deeper down. 
The same varieties planted in mid¬ 
season for a late crop, however, would 
be planted at a depth of three or even 
four inches in light, dry soil, because 
the upper surface would be too hot 
and dry to insure proper germination. 
As a general rule, planting that is done 
late in the season or at any time when 
the weather is hot and dry and likely 
to continue so, should be about twice 
as deep as that for the same varieties 
early in the spring or in cold, rainy 
weather. 
Even with seeds of the highest 
germinating power it is necessary to 
(Continued on page 346) 
Firm the newly set plants into the soil with the balls of the feet, 
removing the plants from the flats with a ball of earth. 
The hundred per cent garden is planned to render all sections easily accessible for frequent 
cultivation, and arranged with greatest economy of space 
The combination wheel hoe and seed drill is indispens 
able to the modern garden, performing all seeding 
