HOUSE AND GARDEN 
283 
April, 1914 
A canvas attachment to the lawn mower will save the 
grass clippings for use as mulch 
level as it is possible 
to make it before be¬ 
ginning operations. 
Another reason is 
that the soil will, by 
reason of the dust- 
mulch, which will be 
formed on the sur¬ 
face, most efficient¬ 
ly store up and con¬ 
serve the surplus 
moisture from 
spring rains, which 
will be needed to 
keep the plant grow¬ 
ing when dry weath¬ 
er comes. And a 
third reason is that 
it can he worked 
either by hand or 
with garden tools 
and kept clean much 
more readily than if 
it is lumpy and 
rough—to say noth¬ 
ing of having the gar¬ 
den or bed have that 
neat, trim appearance 
a smoothly raked sur¬ 
face imparts to the 
cabbage patch, as well 
as the flower bed. 
Early-spring gar¬ 
dening is, of course, 
mainly seed sowing. 
And yet it is remark¬ 
able how much time 
and trouble people 
will take in hunting Perennials which grow in clumps should be divided 
Up the newest varie- and transplanted in enriched soil 
ties of this or that, 
while absolutely ignoring the prosaic but vital point of learning 
to plant properly. As there are, even for the average place, so 
many things to be planted in the spring that it is impossible to 
give a list of detailed directions for each one, the best thing we 
can do is to consider the seeds we are likely to plant, in several 
groups, and, furthermore, to describe the several different meth¬ 
ods of planting. The first distinction which one naturally makes 
is as to size. The seed of begonia, for instance, is about as fine as 
red pepper—mere dust—while those of Ricinus (or Castor-oil 
plant) are as large as good-sized beetles, which, in fact, they very 
closely resemble. And other vegetable and flower seeds range in 
almost every conceivable size and shape between these. Depth to 
plant depends in a way upon the size of the seed, and yet no gen¬ 
eral rule can be followed in all cases. It is much more important 
to be able to follow the principle involved in planting. In other 
words, the idea is to place the seeds where there will be warmth 
and moisture enough to make them germinate; to bring the soil 
into direct contact with them, so that the tiny embryo tap root, 
breaking through the shell or skin of the seed, may find itself im¬ 
mediately in congenial surroundings; to have the covering of such 
a depth and of such a consistency that the tiny sprout that has to 
make its way up to the light will neither be smothered under too 
great a depth of soil or be prevented from breaking through by a 
hard crust. And the corollary of this is, that if you plant seeds 
in soil that is too wet or too dry or too cold it will either rot or re¬ 
main dormant, or that if you cover it too loosely in lumpy soil the 
little rootlet may strike an air space and begin to wither and die 
or starve before it can begin to absorb nourishment; and if the 
covering is too deep, or if you plant in such a way or in such soil 
that a hard crust forms over the seed, the first little leaves may not 
be able to push up through the surface. . 
Now, the general rule is to plant to three or four times the 
seed’s diameter. But this general rule must be considered flexible, 
because seasons and conditions vary. For instance, in planting 
beets or peas early in the spring the proper conditions of moisture 
and so forth would probably be found at a quarter of an inch and 
an inch, respectively, while for the plantings made later in June, 
after the soil has become dried out more and become warmed up 
to a greater depth, it might be found that half an inch, or even 
three-quarters of an inch, for the beets, and two and three inches 
deep for the peas, was the depth desirable. So it is largely 
simply a matter of common sense and judgment. Furthermore, 
as three or four times the diameter of a seed is rather an indefinite 
system of mensuration, you will probably find it easier to follow 
these suggestions; plant fine flower seeds and such fine vegetable 
seeds as celery as shallow as possible, so that the seed is just 
barely covered with soil, or, better still, with a mixture of leaf 
mould or chip-dirt and sand, which is light and friable. Onions, 
carrots, turnips, and other seeds about the same size, which are 
quite small, should be 
put from a quarter to 
half an inch deep, if 
the soil is in a fairly 
good condition and 
not too moist, the lat¬ 
ter depth being pre¬ 
ferable to the former. 
Beets, spinach, pars¬ 
nips and other me¬ 
dium-sized seed can 
be put one-half to one 
inch. And seeds the 
size of peas, beans, 
corn, and so forth, 
two to four inches: 
Separate the roots of the seedlings with care when 
about this size and replant speedily to avoid wilting 
the latter figure being only for very 
dry periods and very light soil. 
In all but the very smallest, vest- 
pocket-sized garden there is only one 
way to sow seeds, and that is to use 
a seed drill. It is not merely a ques- 
(Continued on page 310) 
The wheel hoe, with a seed drill attachment, will insure straight, even rows and is 
easy to operate 
