HOUSE AND GARDEN 
271 
should always be the rule. After the seeds 
are scattered in the row, with the ball of the 
foot or with the narrow-bladed hoe men¬ 
tioned above, press lightly but firmly down 
upon every inch of drill. Don’t push the 
little seeds too deep, but don’t be alarmed 
if they are for the most part out of sight 
when the operation is finished; they will 
come back into sight much more surely 
and quickly than if left lying loose in a 
hot and dry soil. This “firming,” remem¬ 
ber, is done before the seeds are covered 
■in the drill. Many of them will be cov¬ 
ered by this process, but after it fill in level 
with the surface soil, either by drawing the 
hoe along the edge of the drill, with the 
blade at an angle of forty-five degrees to 
it, or by raking lightly across the rows with 
the back of the iron rake. Parsnips, sal¬ 
sify, etc., should go in about one-half inch. 
So much for the smaller seeds. Peas 
and beans and corn require different treat¬ 
ment. They should go in from one to 
three inches deep, and if in single-row 
drills, these should be from six inches to 
a foot wide; but it is usually almost as 
quick, and more satisfactory, to sow in 
double rows, with the twin drills from six 
inches to a foot apart. This usually gives 
a more even stand, and it is much easier to 
keep the weeds in the row cleaned out. 
Bush beans should be put in about two 
inches apart in the drill, and peas scat¬ 
tered, especially for the first sowing, so 
that there will be at least a score to every 
six inches of a double drill. If the soil is 
at all dry, don’t forget to firm! 
Beginning to Fight the Weeds 
F April “opens up” well, you will have 
many seeds breaking ground by the 
first part of May—and among them the in¬ 
truders, weeds. They seem to come out of 
the sky with the spring rains. Don’t let 
them get a start. As soon as your seeds 
are planted, if you can see the rows, start 
the wheel hoe, with the “rake” attach¬ 
ments, or, if you haven’t a wheel hoe, the 
iron rake between the rows. Don’t wait 
for the weeds to appear—you'll have 
trouble enough in the rows, where you 
can’t get at them now. A few radish or 
turnip seed, which germinate in a few 
days, scattered along the drills of lettuce, 
and parsnip, and onions, will mark the 
rows quickly, and so be of assistance. Get 
an ounce extra to use for this purpose. 
Remember that you can destroy more 
weeds now in ten minutes with the iron 
rake than you can a few weeks later in five 
hours with a hoe. For further sugges¬ 
tions about modern methods of fighting 
weeds, read the article on modern garden 
tools on another page. 
In the Vegetable Garden 
F they have not already been attended to 
get your poles for beans and brush for 
peas ready. Lay the pea brush out in a 
flat pile, and put some boards and heavy 
stones on it so as to flatten it out, and thus 
leave more room in the rows for cultivat¬ 
ing and picking. Now sow first plantings 
of beet, carrot, leek, onion, parsley, pars¬ 
nip, salsify, kohlrabi, lettuce, peas, radish, 
spinach, turnip, cabbage for plants to be 
set out later, also brussels sprouts, cauli¬ 
flower and celery. Set out started plants 
of asparagus, rhubarb, beets, cabbage, 
cauliflower, lettuce and onions. Be sure all 
these are well “hardened off” before going 
into the open ground. If you have not 
raised your own plants, buy them early 
enough to keep out-of-doors a few days 
and nights before setting out. 
In the Flower Garden 
OST of the seeds and plants for the 
flower garden will produce as quick 
and more certain results if not put in be¬ 
fore next month. There are some excep¬ 
tions ; first of all, sweet peas, which should 
go in right away, if not already planted, in 
a good, deep, well-drained, well-manured 
trench. Tramp the manure in well, cover 
with two inches of fine soil, plant the seed 
and cover with two inches more, leaving 
a depression of two to four inches to be 
filled in later, but be sure to put it where 
water will not collect and flood it. Don’t 
sow too thickly—not as thick as garden 
peas. Cornflowers, hardy pinks and prim¬ 
roses are other seeds that may go in now. 
But don’t neglect the preparation of the 
soil just because the seeds can wait. Have 
plowed or dug under, a good dressing of 
rotted manure, and let the plot lie in 
ridges until you need it next month. Let 
it stay rough, and smooth it off as you 
need it. Make a plan of the flower gar¬ 
den and get a dozen or so packets of an¬ 
nuals to sow later. You can get wonder¬ 
ful results from a dollar or two in seeds. 
In Greenhouses and Frames 
ON’T let your outdoor work take all 
your attention from the things under 
glass. See that everything in the frames is 
given room and air—if neglected they will 
“run up” in no time to spindling and in¬ 
sect-covered plants, next to worthless. 
Don’t waste your empty frame space. 
Get the cabbage and lettuce plants out of 
them as soon as possible — before you’re 
ready to set them out and then if there is 
any room not demanded by peppers, egg¬ 
plant and tomatoes, start melons, corn, and 
cucumbers at once, planning to leave a few 
plants of the latter permanently in each 
frame. The cucumbers and corn may be 
started on sod, or in boxes or pots, as sug¬ 
gested in the gardening article on another 
page. 
The Value of Cosmos 
EW of the ordinary bedding annuals 
mingle well with larger growing 
species. Others may be beautiful in them¬ 
selves or fine en masse, but of little value 
in the mixed border. The feathery cos¬ 
mos, however, is the exception. Of ail 
the flowers that bloom, it has no rival in 
giving the softening touch to all that grows 
beside it. 
The tropical ricinus loses none of its 
dignity if the delicately-cut foliage and 
dainty white pink or crimson flowers play 
hide-and-seek amid its giant leaves. In¬ 
deed finer combination of plants for a 
mixed border would be hard to find. Also 
cut-and-come-again sunflowers with cos¬ 
mos to fill the irregular spaces between 
the taller sunflowers, field-corn and 
ricinus is an effective and useful combi¬ 
nation, as the individual habit of growth 
of each is such that they virtually support 
each other. 
If cosmos predominates it gives an ar¬ 
tistic cloudlike effect above white asters 
placed in the foreground. The color 
scheme is fine if kept in yellow and white 
only; but it is a matter of taste whether 
the warming touch of pink or crimson 
cosmos be given, or simply the white in 
profusion for the landscape effect. Cos¬ 
mos is beautiful as a specimen plant but 
a combination is more satisfactory. 
Cosmos is of value in the mixed border. It fills up irregular spaces and harmonizes with 
a variety of colors 
