Apriu 1915 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
243 
fairly small, into a spoon 
and then gently shake 
over the soil. The large 
seeds, which can be picked 
up singly, should always 
be sown one at a time. 
Use a stick to push them 
down into the soil. The 
distance apart depends 
upon the size of the 
plants, but in any case 
vou will be surprised at 
the stur cl y specimens 
which come up after 
single planting. 
The depth of sowing is 
a matter upon which there 
is a good deal of igno¬ 
rance. Never forget that 
the seed is a living thing, 
and that if it is going to 
grow it must have air, as 
well as warmth and mois¬ 
ture. Thus, to bury a seed 
deeply is to suffocate it; 
countless millions of pro¬ 
spective plants are lost in 
this way. On the whole, 
a very good rule to ob¬ 
serve is that seeds should 
be covered with soil to 
about their own depth. 
This will mean that very 
tiny seeds can be simply 
scattered on the prepared 
surface, and then gently 
raked in with a handfork. 
In such cases it is an ex¬ 
cellent plan to cover the 
bed with a sheet of news¬ 
paper until the actual ger¬ 
mination has taken place. 
This plan will always be 
followed with great ad¬ 
vantage in the case of 
minute seeds, whether in¬ 
doors or out. Quite apart 
from the protection, it 
will assist a speedy ger¬ 
mination, for the awaken¬ 
ing of the seed always 
goes forward more rapid¬ 
ly in the dark than in the 
full light. Out-of-doors 
sheets of glass propped 
up on stakes may be em¬ 
ployed to protect seeds 
after sowing: bell glasses 
or cloches will do as well. 
These may be helpful 
later on when the little 
plants appear, should the 
weather be fickle. As far 
as the seed is concerned, 
the shelter will keep away 
rain or hailstorms which 
The plants on the left were sown thin; these on the right, thick; showing graphically the results 
of the right and wrong way to grow seed 
Plenty of light is necessary for seedlings, although allowance should be made for shading from 
bright sunshine indoors 
Instead of soaking the hard seeds, such as canna or Indian shot, a quicker way is to file care¬ 
fully through the outer skin 
might cut up the ground. 
Where any close shade, 
such as a bell glass, is 
used, it is important to 
remember that germinat¬ 
ing seeds must have air, 
and the confinement must 
not be too rigid. 
In the case of seeds of 
moderate or large size, 
germination will be very 
much hastened if these 
are soaked for twenty- 
four hours in water be- 
f ore sowing. This is 
sometimes a useful plan 
in a backward season 
when outdoor sowing has 
been delayed owing to 
continued wet weather. 
At the first sign of a dry 
spell the seeds are soaked, 
and then popped into the 
soil, when, if the condi¬ 
tions are at all genial, they 
will come up in an amaz¬ 
ingly short time. Any 
seeds which are big 
enough to handle and 
seem to be very hard may 
always be soaked with ad¬ 
vantage. Some k i n d s, 
such as those of the canna 
or Indian Shot, rarely 
germinate satisfactorily 
unless they are soaked for 
days. A quicker way is to 
get a file and carefully 
cut through the outer 
skin. This will ensure a 
speedy growth. Certain 
kinds of seeds naturally 
take a long while to come 
up; in other cases some 
of the seeds germinate, 
and some of the same sort 
sown at exactly the same 
time lag behind. This un¬ 
even germination is a 
feature of some plants, 
the most notable of which 
are certain kinds of pri¬ 
mula. The writer remem¬ 
bers sowing a pan of the 
Chinese primula; about 
half the seeds came up 
within quite a short time, 
while the others spread 
their germination over 
two months. No one 
seems to know why this 
is the case, but the fact is 
mentioned to warn the 
grower against conclud¬ 
ing that a lot of the seeds 
(Continued on page 291 ) 
