Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-08-18
THE EVENING STAR.
M0NDAY.......... August Is. 1879.
The Use OF the Feet i'm Sowing and
Planting

=. Aa3 De useless 10 throw out any SuggeS-
nuns relative TO horticultural operations 10
sui bcdy OF practical men as is now before
US. Yet candidly admit that although 1 have
, uesn extensively engaged In gardening opera
,, ,,S do5 over quarter Of century did not
!uliy realize until few years ago the full impor-
lance OF how Indispensable il was to use the feet
ticuafIy in fhs o. sowing and PLANTING. Par
me matter OF such vast Importance that &c can
I toe oe 700 often or too strongly told Tor the
G.unity by the neglect of the sjmnie nneratton
oI i.fniIng me soil around seed must amount 10
many Iiillions annually. From the middle of
MANY sections OF the country there was liifle ar
no RAIN; such was particularly the case q, t,o
Vicinity OF New York city, where we have nun.
dreds OF market gardeners who culr,n-st,,
thousands OF acres OF cabbage cault-
Flower and celery, but the dry spl,ng has
played sad havoc with their seed beds Gel.
cry is hot one-tourth OF crop and cab
bage ard cauliiower hardly half, and thfs IAN
ure is due 10 no other cause than that they 1,nr
sist IN sowing their seeds without ever taxing
Tie precautiOn to firm the soil by rolling. We
SOW annually about 4 acres Of celery. ca cba-e
and cauiitlower plants, which produces prob
aoiy I'VE millions In number, and which we
never fall 10 sell, mostly 10 our iIamedile
neIghborh0od, 10 tie market gardeners. waO
nave many or them even better facilities thau
we cave Tor raising these plants, II they would
only Go as we do, firm the seed alter SOW
Ing, which is done thus: after blowing hav-
rowing and levelllng the land smoothly. lines
are drawn by the marker" which makes fur
after the man who sows the seed follows
another, who with the bali Of the right foot
presses down his fun weight on every inch OF
sod In the drill where the seed has been sown.
the rows are then lightly leVeled longttuitnai-
~ with the rake, light roller Is then passed
over 1t ana the operation Is done By this
method our crop has never once failed, and
what is true of celery and cabbage seed. Is
nearly true or al other seeds requiring 10 be
SoWn during the late spring or summer
months. on July "a or 1874, on experiment
SOW cd Twelve and
rows OF beetS treading In after sowing every
alternate row Of each. In both cases, those
trod IN came up In four days, while those uu-
firmed remained twelve days before starting,
and would not theR have terminated had rain
Lot fallen, for the soil was dry as dust wnen
planted. The result was that the seeds that
had been trodden In grew fully from the
start and maJured their crops to a marketable
condition by fail, while the rows uD1rmed
did not mature, as they were not only eight
Gays later In terminating, but the plants were
also to some extent enfeebled, by being par
TALLY dried In the loose dry soil. This expert
ment was most useful one, for 1t proved that
corn crop sown In the vicinity OF New York as
late as July I'd could be made to produce
roasting ears In october, when they never
fail TO sell freely at high rates, but the crop
would not mature unless the seed terminated
at once, and which would never be certain.
at that dry and hot season, unless by this
The same season In August I treated seeds
OF turnip and spinach in the same way, those
trod In terminated at once and made an eX-
cellent crop, while those unfirmed terminated
feebly and were eventually nearly all burned
out by continuance of dry hot air penetrating
through the loose soil to the tender rootletS
OF course this rule OF treading In or firming
Very early in spring or late In fall when the
soil Is damp and no danger from heated dry
air. there is no necessity to do so, or even
az h other seasons the sou may be In suit
damp to be trodden upon or rolled, In such
cases these operations may not be necessary at
all, for II rainy weather ensue the seeds Will
germinate OF course, but II there is any likelf-
hood OF continued drouth the treading or rolling
nay DE done week or so after sowing, IL II Is
at such season as there Is reason TO believe
that 1t may suffer from the dry hot air. Now IL
frming the soil around seed to protect 1t from
the influence OF dry and hot atmosphere is a
necessity 1t is obvious that 1t Is even more so In
the case OF plants whose rootlets are even more
sensitive to such influences than the dormant
seed.
Experienced people or horticultunsts, how
lect In the case OF seeds, for the damage from
such neglect is easier to be seen, and hence
better understood by the practical nurserymen;
is different; when he receives his package
of trees or plants from the nurseryman
he handles them as ii they were glass,
Complaint and he Sas to p1ana
them glngerly, Strengthening out each root
and sitting the soil around them, but he would
stamp on the SOIL Of his mothers grave. So the
plant In nine cases out OF ten is left loose and
Wriggl1ng, the dry air penetrateS through the
soil to its ROOTS the winds shake it, IL SnrivelS
up and fails to grow, then comes the anathe-
mas on the head OF the unfortunate nursery
man who Is charged with selling him dead
trees or plants
1t has often been wonder to many OF US who
have been workers In the soil for generation,
how some Of the simplest methods OF culture
have not been practiced until we were nearly
done with LIES work. There are few of us but
have had such experience; personally, must
say that never pass through year but am
COMPOUNDED to find that some operation, can not
only be quicker done, but better done than we
have been in the habit OF doing 1t. These
but mainly from suggestions thrown
out by our employees In charge of special depart
mentS, system which we do all In our power
to encourage. AS proof OF the value or SUCH
Improvements which have lead to simplifying
our operations, Will state the fact that though
my area OF Greenhouse surface Is now more
than double what 1t was in 1870, and the land
the number OF hands employed Is less now than
In 1870, and yet at the same time the quality OF
our stock is Infinitely better than then.
Whether 1t is the higher price OF labor In thus
country that forces us into labor saving eXpedi-
entS, OR the interchange of-epiniol from the
greater number OF nattOnalitieS centering here
that gives :uS broader views OF culture, I am
not prepared to state, but that America is now
selling nearling all the products or the Green
house, Garden Nursery, and farm lower than is
done1 IN Europe admits OF no question, and IL my
homely suggestions In this matter or firming
the soil around newly planted seeds or plants,
viii in any degree assist us in still holding TO
the front, will be gratif1ed.