The soil.—In no one place can we find a perfect soil for all kinds of vegetables, but, as previously urged, a rich soil will largely make up for de ficiency in variety. The question of the soil can not be discussed further here.
The seed.—The modern methods of seed-testing enable the dealer to offer seeds of good germinat ing qualities and the purchaser to know whether the seeds are good before planting ; but, as to the purity of the products, one must take the word of the dealer, and he should buy only of reliable seeds men. (Consult Chapter VII.) A simple seed-tester can be made with two dinner plates, a little fine clean sand, and two sheets of blotting-paper or cheese-cloth. (Fig. 391.) Put the sand in the plate, level it off nearly full, and satu rate until water almost stands on the surface ; then spread over the blotting-paper or cheese-cloth and place on it the seeds,— ten, fifty or one hundred of each. The larger the number the more'accurate the test. Over the seeds spread another sheet of blot ting-paper or cloth, and cover all with another dinner-plate.
Much of the success of this work depends on the temperature at which the sand is kept. As nearly as possible this should be the same as would be required for the best germination in the open ground. The best temperature for radishes, turnips, cabbage, lettuce, beets, celery, parsnips, grasses, and the like, is 40° to 50° at night and 50° to 60° during the day ; for corn, beans, cucum bers, melons, squashes, tomatoes, peppers, egg plants, and the like, 50° to 60° at night and 60° to 70° during the day is desirable.
Planting.— With a fine mellow seed-bed, seeds should be covered according to their size and the condition of the weather. Fine seeds should be covered three or four times their thickness in dry weather, and less deeply in wet weather. The soil should be pressed firmly about the seed ; the drier the soil the more firm should be the pressure. Very fine seeds, like those of celery, are sown on the surface, a little fine soil is sifted on them, and a sheet of cheese-cloth is spread over and wet down. This prevents washing of the soil and holds the moisture in contact with the seeds. Fine sphagnum
moss sifted on answers the same purpose. As soon as the seeds begin to germinate, the cloth must be removed and the bed shaded until the plants become well established. Fine seeds may be shaded with a little fine hay or rowen to keep the surface of the ground moist ; but if too much is put on it will cause them to decay.
Cultivation and protection.—No crop, either of fruit or vegetables, will grow without some culti vation and care and protection from insects and fungous pests. As suggested in Fig. 379, all crops should be arranged in rows wide enough so that the work of stirring the soil may be done with the horse. With a fine-tooth cultivator this may be done even with plants that grow from very fine seeds, like celery, onions and carrots. To preserve regular distances between the centers of rows, and to occupy the land closely, onions, carrots or other small-topped plants may be sown in double rows ; that is, there may be two rows one foot apart, with two and one-half or three feet clear space for cul tivation to the next two rows one foot apart.
Harvesting the vegetable crop.—Early vegetables are of little value if left in the ground long after they have reached the size for table use. Radishes, turnips, beets, kohlrabi and similar root crops become fibrous and woody, while lettuce, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower and the like run to seed. Therefore, if there is any surplus of summer vege tables not needed by the family, it should be gath ered and disposed of so that plant-food may not be taken from the ground. All winter vegetables should be tender and succulent when gathered and should be stored in a cool, slightly moist place, at a temperature of between 32° and 33°. To keep beets, parsnips and similar crops from wilting, they may be packed in cool, slightly moist leaves. A good time to gather these is in the morning after a frost, or when there is a little snow on them. If packed in barrels or bins, a layer of leaves is first put in the bottom, then the roots are mixed with a few leaves and a covering of leaves is put on top. A piece of burlap or a grain bag spread over all will keep the leaves in place.