CHE REFERENCE LIBRARY - ZetaTalk

14 THE NURSERY-MANUALsown on the end of a porous block of wood that is placed ina dish of water, seen in Fig. 3. The block is covered with abell-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 shouldbe kept merely damp in most cases. To insure comparativedryness in indoor culture, a loose material, as pieces of brokenpots or clinkers, should be placed in the bottom of the pot orbox to afford drainage. It is to be bol e in mind, however,that the seed-bed should be approximately equally moistthroughout its depth. The waterings should be copious enoughto moisten the soil, top to bottom. L4 wet or moist surface overa dry sulnstratum sl~oulcl bc avoided. Error is common here.It is usually best to apply water with a wntering-pot., as wateringwith a hose is likely to wash out the seeds and to pack theewrtll, anit the quantity of Water is not so easily regulated.At. first thought, it would seem that the apparently goodresults folloGlg soaking of scetls are a contradiction of thestatnments that st4s may be oj’er-watered. But soakingis usually hefic~hl only h3r pracZic*ed for a conq~arativrl~short the. It is not god prar+ice to smk cHicate st~ls beforeso&g, and it is of doubtful utility in most other WSW, unlessit is necessary to soften the integuments of hard-shelled species,as discmsseil on page :Z;i. ‘he gain iii rapidity of gertninationfollowing soal;eil, ;1s compared with dry, sct~ds, is often onlyapparent, htdsinW1i as gcrtuiii;.~t ion m~trially begius in thesoaked seed hr~fore tlrth dry sa~tnples ;IIV SO\\III. The soakedseeds are sow11 in WiltCbrather thau in soil, mid as conditionsWC 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 illc&l or ui~c~iqyiii~~l soil, a pi*~~liminary soaking of t\velve totwedyfwr Ilours rn:~.y be beneficial, as it lessens the periodwhich the seeds would otherwise pass in untoward co0ilitions.hit ~0dwi1 seetcls, unless of vcrv C’ hardv ” 5pecics, should never