The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-07-19
I'HE USE or
THE FEE'T IN
SOWING ) PLANTING
BY PETER HENDERSON.
BY PETER HENDERSON.

For s'nc years past | have, in writing
on gardening matters, insisted upon the
great importance of ''firming" tho soil over
seeds after sowing, especially when the soil
is dry or likely to become SO. I know of
no operation of more Importance in either
the farm or thc garden, and | trust that
what am about to say will be read and re-
mcmbcrcd by every one not yet aware Of
the vast importance of the practice. say
'vast Importance" for the loss to the agrl-
cultural and horticultural community, from
The habit Of loosly sowing seeds or planting
plants IN hot and dry soils, is Of magni-
tudc. which few will believe, until they
have witnessed it; and it is loss all tho
more to be regretted, when VIC know that
"llrming' the soil around the seed or pla,t
is, in most cases, certain preventive.
Particularly in the sowing of seeds,
consider the matter of such vast Importance,
!ha! it cannot be too often or too strongly
tod; for the loss to the agricultural a? Il
horticultural community, by the neglect e
the simple operation of tminy the soil
around the seed, must amount to many
millions annually. For the mischief done
is not confined to The less important garden
operations, but even Corn, Gotten, Wheat,
lurnips and other important crops Of the
farm often fail, in hot and dry soils, by be-
ing sown without being limcd sufficiently
| to prevent the dry air Shriyclinw or DRIVING
lhc seeds. or course, the use of the feet
is impracticable in Grniing seeds on ,hc
farm, but heavy roller, applied after SOW
| my, is an alb 'Olu.c necessity under certain
conditions Of the soil, to insure pcrlcct
termination. From the middle Of April to
nearly the end Of May of this year in many
sections Of the country, there was little or
no rain. Such was particularly the case in
lhc vicinity of New York City, where we
have ,undrcds of market gardeners, who
cu!tiyatc thousands of acres of Cabhagc,
Cauliiowcr and Celery ,butthc "Gry spring.
has played sad havoc with their seed beds.
Celery is not onr-fCHTth Of a crop and Cab
bagc and Cauliiowcr hardly half, and this
failure is due to no other cause than that
they persist in sowing their seeds without
ever taking the prccauti0n to firm the soil
by rolling.
We sow annually about four acres Of
Celery, Cabbage and Cauiilowcr plants,
which produce probably five millions in
number, and which we never fail to sell
mostly in our immediate nCghhorhood, to
The market gardeners, who have, many of
them, even better facilities than we have
fer raising these plants, if they would only
do as we do, firm tho seed after sowing,
| which is done thus:
After blowing, narrowing and lcvciing
| the land smoothly lines are drawn bv the
'markcr, which makes furrow about two
| inches deep and foot apart; after the man
| who sOws the seed follows another, who,
with the ball Of the right foot, presses down
his full weight on every inch Of the soil in
the drill.whcrc the scc,i has been sown; the
rows are then lightly lcrulcd longtudihallv
with the rake, ligilS roller is passed over
mem, ana the operation is done.
by tins method our &rOp has never once
failed, and what is true OF Celery and Cab
bage seed IS nearly true Of nil other seeds
requiring to be sown during the late sDrinv
or summer months.
On July 20, of 1871, rs an experiment, |
sOwcd l2 rows Of Sweet Corn and 10 rows
OF Bccts, rca!nS in, after sowing, every
alternate row OF each. In both eases those
trod in came up in four days, while those
untrmed remained II days before starting
ana would not then have terminated had
not rain fallen, for tho soil was dry as Gust
when the seed were sown.
/ lie result was that the seeds that had
been trodacn in grew frt ely from the start,
ana maturCd their crops 10 marketable
condition by fail; while the rows unfirmcd
d'd not mature, as they were not only eight
days later III terminating, but The plants
were also, TO some extent. cnfccblcd hy be-
ing partially dried in the loose, dry soil.
The same season, in August, / treated
sccds OF Turnips and Spinach in the same
way. Those trOd in gcrminatcd ht once
and made on excellent crop, while those
unllrmcd gcmmatc0 fecbly, and were
eventually nearly all burned out by the dry
not air penetrating through the loose soil
to the tender rootlc!s.
l beg to caution the inexperienced, how
ever, Ivy no means to tread or roll in seed
IL the ground is not dry. The soil may
often be in a suitable condition to sow and
yet be too damp to be tr0ddcn upon or
rolled. In such cases these operations may
not he necessary At all, for if lainy weather
ensucs, the seeds will gcrminatc Of course;
but if there is any likelihood Of a continued
drought, the trcading or rolling may be
done week or more after the seed has
been SoWn, il there is any reason to believe
That 1t may suffer from the dry, hot air.
Another very Important advantage gained
ny lrcadlng in the seeds is, that when we
nave crops OF Bccts, Celery, Turnips,
oplhach, or anything else that is sown in
rows, the seeds to form the crop come up
at once; while the seeds of the weeds, that
arc just rs liable to perish by the heat az
those OF the crop, arc retarded. Such of
The weed seeds rs lie in the space between
the rows when the soil is loose will not
Ecrmlnatc as quickly as those of the crop
6own; and hence he can cultivate between |
the rows before the weeds gcrminatcat at AL |
The above cmbodics the experience Of |
onc of the most practical and successful |
market gardeners of the country, and we
believe tho adoption Of lis plan would al |
most entirely put an end to complaints Of
allure to secure stand Of turnips.
The turnip seeds we offer, VIC believe,
ully equal in quality to any sold in this
market. We make 10 claims that ours are
'cttcr than all others, and would not cxpcct
cnsiblc proplc to believe any such state
ncnt.
We solicit your business on a truthful