CHE REFERENCE LIBRARY - Pole Shift Survival Information

14 THE NURSERY-MANUAL
sown on the end of a porous block of wood that is placed in
a dish of water, seen in Fig. 3. The block is covered with a
bell-glass (Fig. 5)) or it may be placed in a propagating-box.
Even sound and strong seeds should be watered with care.
Drenchings usually weaken or destroy them. The earth should
be kept merely damp in most cases. To insure comparative
dryness in indoor culture, a loose material, as pieces of broken
pots or clinkers, should be placed in the bottom of the pot or
box to afford drainage. It is to be bol e in mind, however,
that the seed-bed should be approximately equally moist
throughout its depth. The waterings should be copious enough
to moisten the soil, top to bottom. L4 wet or moist surface over
a dry sulnstratum sl~oulcl bc avoided. Error is common here.
It is usually best to apply water with a wntering-pot., as watering
with a hose is likely to wash out the seeds and to pack the
ewrtll, anit the quantity of Water is not so easily regulated.
At. first thought, it would seem that the apparently good
results folloGlg soaking of scetls are a contradiction of the
statnments that st4s may be oj’er-watered. But soaking
is usually hefic~hl only h3r pracZic*ed for a conq~arativrl~
short the. It is not god prar+ice to smk cHicate st~ls before
so&g, and it is of doubtful utility in most other WSW, unless
it is necessary to soften the integuments of hard-shelled species,
as discmsseil on page :Z;i. ‘he gain iii rapidity of gertnination
following soal;eil, ;1s compared with dry, sct~ds, is often only
apparent, htdsinW1i as gcrtuiii;.~t ion m~trially begius in the
soaked seed hr~fore tlrth dry sa~tnples ;IIV SO\\III. The soaked
seeds are sow11 in WiltCbrather thau in soil, mid as conditions
WC ITiON” uniform tl;c~lT~, i1 guin ~l.~~1,i~~~‘~~tl)~ ilIlt’ tc) sding IlW)
result. Ii1 thrt i’iI?W iIf c*thh strong se& philted outdorm ill
c&l or ui~c~iqyiii~~l soil, a pi*~~liminary soaking of t\velve to
twedyfwr Ilours rn:~.y be beneficial, as it lessens the period
which the seeds would otherwise pass in untoward co0ilitions.
hit ~0dwi1 seetcls, unless of vcrv C’ hardv ” 5pecics, should never