8 
watered from the top. One is also certain that the soil 
is thoroughly saturated with water. After the surface 
soil is moist the pot is removed from the bucket and the 
surplus water allowed to drain off before replacing the 
pot in the window or frame. In order to prevent too 
rapid evaporation from the surface, the pot is sometimes 
covered with a piece of glass or paper until the seed ger- 
minate. The sub-irrigation method will only have to be 
practised a few times before the seed are up. Another 
way to prevent the seed from being washed to the side 
of the pot or box when sprinkling with a can is shown in 
figure 2, plate 7. A piece of cloth is moistened and laid 
on the pot, and the sprinkling done through the cloth. 
The force of the water is broken by the cloth, and the 
moisture oozes through to the soil. After enough water 
has passed through the cloth should be removed. 
Types and sizes of seed.—Seed vary a great deal in 
size, shape, and the length of time required for germina- 
tion. Figure 1, plate 8, gives a good idea of the sizes of 
some common flower seeds. It can easily be understood 
how difficult it is to raise some of these plants from seed 
when the essentials of germination are not understood. 
If the seeds of petunias and lobelias are covered with 
more than a quarter of an inch of soil failure to germin- 
ate may be expected, but if barely coverel with soil or 
lightly pressed into the soil more seedlings will come up 
_ than can be used. Seed that are sown on the surface of 
the soil indoors or in a frame where practically all condi- 
tions of soil, moisture, light, and heat can be controlled 
will germinate readily, but if this were done in the open 
failure would result. 
There is a certain relation between the depth that seed 
are sown and their power to germinate. Seed are fre- 
quently sown too deeply. A seed that is covered with 
much soil does not get the proper amount of air and has 
the added burden of pushing up the layer of soil above it. 
Air (oxygen) is absolutely necessary for the germination 
of seeds. Sow a seed the proper way and watch it ger- 
minate, but place some of the seed in water, which con- 
PUDOR’S, INC., PUYALLUP, WASH. 
