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Show USE HOT WATER TO KILL GERMS Harmful Molds or Fungi Should Be Destroyed Before Seeds Are Planted. MOST SOILS ARE UNSUITED If Disease Spores are Not Eliminated Plants Will Become Diseased and Di or Remain Stunted. To be sure of obtaining healthy young plants for transplanting to the home garden or elsewhere, .treat the soil in the seed box with boiling water a few days before planting. Most all soils commonly used for seed beds contain con-tain one or more kinds of harmful molds or fungi and in addition, in the South, a destructive eelworm which causes a disease of many garden crops commonly called rootknot. Recently it has been learned by the United States Department of Agriculture Agricul-ture that seed-bed soil can be made reasonably free from these plant enemies ene-mies by this simple hot-water treatment. treat-ment. If disease spores are not killed, plants grown in such soil will usually become diseased and die, or else will remain stunted and sickly. It is because be-cause of the transplanting of such diseased dis-eased seedlings that many of the poor crops or failures in the home garden occur. Every gardener should therefore there-fore learn how to recognize troubles of young plants and become familiar with the method here described for preventing prevent-ing them. Before treating the soil it should be placed in the box ready for seeding. Make a few holes in the bottom of the box for drainage. Pour on the boiling water very slowly at the rate of two gallons lo a box of soil one foot square ine not Water Tiatment. jiul four Inches deep and at once cover with a newspaper to help hold (he heal for a longer time. After a few days or whenever the soil lias dried out en. High the seed may be phuited. Young plants grown In 'his treated soil not only havt white, sound roots, but also have a healthy, vigorous appearance ap-pearance above ground. BesiiLes this, seeds spi'iut better and the plants grow much faster than those planted In untreated soil. Ordinarily diseased seedlings are a lighter green color and are somewhat smaller than ht.Ithy plants and have a sickly appearance. These signs of dlsadaa OB the young plants, however, may not be noticed and still the trouble may be present on the roots and develop de-velop after the plants are set In the garden. To Co'1 out if diseases are present. alwnj examine the roots of young plan's before setting them out. If af-fecteo af-fecteo by molds, or fungi, dark dead j patches may be seen on the roots and sometimes or. the lower part of the stems. |