The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-05-10

AND PLANTING.
The following are the essential portions
of paper read by Mr.. Peter Henderson
OF Jersey City at the annual meeting of
the " American Association of Nursery
men > at Cleveland, Ohio The subject
is an eminently practical one, and in the
discussion which followed the paper. some
of the most experienced nurservmen in
the country gave their testimony as to its
Importance. After some Introductory
remarks, Mr.. Henderson said:
| Though | have been extensively en-
gagged in gardening operations for quar-
ter Of century, | candidly admit that
did not, until a few years ago, fully real
lze the Importance of the proper use of
the feet in sowing and planting. Partic-
ularly in the sowing of seeds, / consider
the matter OF such Importance that it can
not be told too often or emphasized too
strongly. The loss to the agricultural
and horticultural community by the neg
lect of the simple operation of firming the
soil around the seed must amount to MANY
millions of dollars annually. In many
sections there was, last season, little or
no rain from the middle of April to near
ly the end of May. This was particularly
the case In the vicinity of New y ork city,
where we have hundreds of market-gar-
deners who cultivate thousands Of acres
of cabbages, caulifower and celery, with
whose seed-beds the dry spring made sad
havoc
We SOW annually about four acres in
celery, cabbage, and caulifower, for the
purpose of raising the plants, of which
probably five millions are produced, and
which we never fail to sell mostly to the
BJrfk6e55 BJrfk6e55d,, 1MHaafEfy 0f whom have even great
er facilities than we have for raising these
plants, if they would only do as we do
firm the seed after sowing. After plow-
ing, narrowing, and smoothing the land,
lines are drawn by the Marker which
makes burrows about two inches deep and
foot apart; one man sows the seed and
another follows him, who, with the ball
of the right foot, presses down his full
weight upon every inch of soil in the
drill where the seed has been sown. The
rows are then lightly levelled Longitude
nally with the rake, a light roller is pass
ed over them and the operation is done.
With this method our crop has never
once failed, and what is true of celery
and cabbage seed, is nearly as true of all
other seeds sown during the late spring
or the warm months of summer.
On July ?, 1874, | sowed, as an expert
ment, twelve rows of sweet corn and twelve
rows of beets, treading in every alternate
row of each after sowing. In both cases
those trodden in came up in four DAYS,
while those not thus frmed remained
twelve days before starting, and would
not then have germinated had not rain
fallen, the soil being as dry as dust The
result was that the seeds trodden in grew
from the start and matured their crops to
marketable condition by fall, while the
rows not hrmed did not mature, as the
seeds were eight days later in starting,
and the plants were also enfeebled from
being partially dried in the loose, dry
soil.
In August of the same year | treated
seeds of turnip and spinach in the same
way those trodden in germinated at
once and made an excellent crop. while
those unfrmed, germinated feebly, and
were eventually nearly all burned out,
the dry, hot air penetrating through the
the loose soil to the tender rootlets. Of
course, this rule, to tread in or firm seeds
after sowing, must not be blindly follow
ed. Very early in spring, or late in fall,
when the soil is moist, and there is no
danger from dry, hot air, there is no ne
cessity to do so, and at other seasons, the
soil may be in suitable condition for SOW
ing, and yet be damp to be trodden upon
or rolled. In such cases, these operations
may not be necessary at all, for if rainy
weather ensue, the seeds will germinate of
course; but if there is probability of
continued drouth, the treading or rolling
may be done week or SO after sowing.
if there is reason to believe the seeds NAV
suffer from the dryness.
Now, if firming the soil around seed to
protect it from the influence of dry, hot
atmosphere is necessity, it is obvious
that 1t Is even more so In the case of
plants, the rootlets of which are even
more sensitive to such influence than the
dormant seed.
Experienced horticulturists are less ike
ly to neglect this than in the case of seeds,
for the resulting damage is easier to be
seen, and hence better understood by the
practical nurseryman. With the unex-
perienced amateur the case is different;
when be receives his package of trees or
plants from the nurseryman, he handles
them as if they were glass, every broken
twig or root calls forth complaint, and
he proceeds to plant them gingerly,
Strengthening out the roots and sitting the
soil around them, but he would no more
stamp down that soil than he would stamp
on the soil Of his mothers grave So the
the plant, IN nine cases out Of ten, IL left
loose and waggfng, the dry air penetrates
through the soil to its roots, the winds
shake it. il shrivsls up and fsils 10 grow.