Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-04-27
PLANTING SMALL SEEDS.
Some Spr,nS Hints for Gardeners.

Some Spring Hints for 0arceners.
Country Gentleman.
There are many failures in planting or
sowing small garden or farm seed from
three causes, namely, in not sufficiently
pulverizing the soil, in burying too deep,
and in not COMPRISING the earth closely
about the seeds.
/. Without thorough pulverization the
soil and its moisture cannot be brought
into close contact with the seed, but only
few points of the small clods and Jumps
will touch it, and air crevices be left all
about it. The smaller the seed the larger
will be these crevices in comparison.
Seeds will not grow buried in stone heap
or in a heap OF coarse clods. The more
nearly tho soil is reduced to the condition
of fine powder the better. Garden beds
should, therefore, be finely pulverized
with thorough use of the steel rake.
Manure, when applied. should be thor
8lghly broken up and we'll intermixed.
In sowing the smaller flower seeds, which
are not to be covered over half an inch
deep, it is we'll to pulverize the earth with
the thumb and finger as it is dropped in
the drill. If the soil is not dry enough
for the operation, wait until it becomes
so, and more will be gained by the delay
than by the hasty covering of fine seeds
with wet clOds. a rule has been correctly
given, that strong soil is never dry
enough until a clod under the pressure Of
the boot is crumbled to powder. instead
of pressed to soft and yielding mass.
2. Seeds are often buried too deep.
They mEst never be placed beyond the
reach Of air. An old and good rule is to
cover them to depth varying from three
to five times their diameter. But this rule
will vary with the character of tho soil
and its condition. More depth will be re-
quired for dry than for moist covering !;
and a greater depth of sand may be ap-
piled than of compact clay. Seedsmen are
seed merely because the gardener buried
it to such depth that it would not grow.
We have witnessed some rather striking
instances of such mistakes.
3. The soil should be sufficiently CONF
pressed about the seed, otherwise there
will be many air cavities. The amount Of
pressure given will depend on circum-
stances. If the earth is finely pulverized,
less pressure will be required than with a
coarse or lumpy SOIL A heavier pressure
needs to be given with dry than with a
moist soil. l: is an old opinion that seeds
gerrninate better if sown just before rain
than after it. This may be true when a
fine soil has been previously pressed about
the seed. More commonly coarse soil
has prevented close packing, and the
soil having been sof.ened more or less by
a shower, will the more closely encase the
seed with moderate pressure. Ii the
gardener understands the rationale of all
these operations, he will be more likely to
avoid mistakes, and to meet with uniform
SUCCESS, than if he pursues blind and IN
conditional rules.
In sowing every kind Of seed, and with
different conditions of the soil, great deal
that is really valuable in practice, rs well
as really inter esting. may be learned by
trying different modes side by side Bury
the seeds at different depths, and mark
each portion observe the condition Of the
sell as to moisture and fineress plant
both before and after rain, in 2 commonly
coarse and in a finely pulverized soil
these experiments. performed side by side,
will during the season oe growth convey
much valuable instruction to the operator