CHE REFERENCE LIBRARY - ZetaTalk

FIG. 26. Tracy seed-planter.the surfavc. This is a useful implement ill seed-testing.Another rk~k for regulating the depth of sowing, particularlyin seed-trstinp, is thv Tracy planter, shown in Fig. 26. Itrvnsists of tw0 strip of hea\*>v tin plate ahut hree incheswide, hung on two wire pivots or hinges some two inches long.At their iqqw ctlgw, and equidistant, from either end, theplates are joktl hi* a firm spiral spring, which serves to throwthe nppcr edges apart, and to vanse the tower edges to join.I’he trough is now filled with the required number of seeds,and is then insflrtcd int.o t hc cart11 ‘to a, givvn depth, whenthe fingers push inward onthe springs and the troughopens and delivers thesee d s. ’Delicate seeds, sown outof doors, should bc givena. very accessible loca,tion,b ecause t,heJ wiil needconstant watching in dryweather and during heavyrains. A border along awall is a favorite site fora seed--bed. A Frenchmethod of preparing such abed is shown in Fig. 27(after Mot.tet). FIG. 27. Seed-border.