The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-12-28
PROPER WAY TO sow SEEDS
Starring the Garden lndoors-Fis
Boxes Should be Carefully Prepared
and Well Labeled.

question so important as that OF SOW
ing seed, inasmnch as failure is com
mon and as by far the greater par
of our gardening consists in raising
plants from seed rather than in grow
ing perennials, bulbs and shrubbery
says writer in the Country Gentle
man. Time was when the garden was
possession handed down from the
mother to daughter or daughterin.
law, when it consisted of all the sweet
old familiar plants and flowers. In
these days of many changes, when to
abide in the same house for a score
Of years is a sort of distinction, there
IS little time for more than the tenn
porary garden Of ANIMALS and perhaps
few summer bulbs and bedding
plants which may be bought ready
grown from the florist. 1t then be-
comes important where seeds are de-
pended on to furnish the garden they
shall be properly sown and cared for.
This makes for justice to the seeds
whom much unmerited abuse is heaped
because of seed failing to terminate.
curiously enough, it rarely occurs to
the compliments that the fault may
be theirs and yet, in SO cases in 100
Il is.
Few seeds are adapted for sowing
IN the open ground, and Of these few
The greater part do better If sown In
The fall-as for instance the foxgloves,
poppies, canterbury bells and the like,
which come up self-sown in utmost
freedom every spring. For sowing all
he tender ANNALS, the hotbed or fat
Il the house is necessary. There they
oan have the temperature and mois-
.ure regulated according to their
needs, and are sheltered from the
;nclemencies Of the weather No ex-
pensive equipment is required for SOW
ng seeds in the house Flat, florists
term, may be stretched to include any
shallow receptacle from a cigar box,
which makes an excellent fiat for the
| iner grade Of house plants, to a milk
| pan or the saucers that come with the
| large flower pots. Suffice 1t that these
allow for the escape Of surplus water,
| are of a size to be easily handled, and
are not too deep. BY cigar boxes
! mean the shallow ones-the large deep
| boxes should have the lids nailed on
| securely and then be sawn in two, as
| otherwise they would prove too deep
The soil for sowing seeds indoors
| should consist of considerable pro-
| portion of leaf-mold, as garden loan,
! .hough excellent In itself, is liable to
:ake badly when used indoors. II
should be sifted and made free from
Jumps, stones and the like, and should
be neither wet nor dry. but just moist
The boxes or pans should have several
/ small holes in the bottom, masked with
| 3its of glass or pottery to keep the
Earth from filing them and stopping
| he drainage They should not be
| quite full but should leave room
| enough to water and for the seedlings
% put forth two or more pairs of
| caves before the glass is entirely re-
| moved. Seed soWn in the house does
| aot need nearly as deep planting as
/ when sown in the open ground ex-
posed to changes Of temperature and
| weather In many cases merely stiff
| Hg over the surface is all that Is nee
| sssary, This is especially true of the
| ender greenhouse plants, the seeds
! If some being too fine to distinguish
~ the naked eye except as fine dust.
| Somewhat larger seeds may also be
| 3own on the surface, scattering them
IS thiDly as possible and then be bare
Y covered with fine white sand aiftrf
Wer them. For larger seeds,a heavier
| covering of sand or fine earth may be
| given, and quite large seed may b.
,own in shallow drills aud the dis
| 3laced earth drawn back over them.
| Whatever the manner of sowing. all
must be pressed gently into the soil
| by means Of a bit of smooth board or
paperwedght-an anything possessing
| perfectly smooth face which will
not catch and hold seed planted on
| the surface Of the soil
1t must not be forgotten 10 label
| each sowing of seed with the name
and date of sowing This is Of first
| importance, as without these data
| there will be no means Of knowing
whether the seed has had time to GER
| inmate or not. and often the seed
rlan il blamed for the failure Of seed
| to terminate when II really has not
| had time. In this connection, IT win
/ be we'll, as far as possible, to inform
oneself as to the time It takes different
| seeds to terminate. The treatment
the seeds receive has much to do with
| their terminating 1t Is necessary for
| favorable results to SOW many varie-
| ties in hot water for longer or short
er time Verbera seeds should be
! soaked for two or three hours In quite
| hot water. Gamma seeds should have
the shell filed until the white shows
| and then be soaked over night in very
warm water, and morning-glory and
moon-lower seeds should be soaked in
| warm water until they crack, or even
until the spront appears and then be