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Show Seed Box in Sunny Window Gives Plants Head Start ! p TOP LAYEB OF ll SET SEED BOX IN i , . gABDEN LOAM AND fiULLOW PAN OF j A) . V - "1 SAND FINELY WATER. j LififiM::: sieved. r" " . SSpnfVl HALF SHARP SAND V-- ' W;r.vvi".;:l and gAqden loam C I t WELL MIXED- XV- ! iff T LAYER OF CINDE.BS. ,CT IT REMAIN HOLES FOR DRAINAGE. .rJTIL SURFACE. IS PRlPAPl SEWO 6QX CAREFULLY. " evenly moist. Jj I 1 SI 60E YOUNG PLANTS 1 -sSPas v Wucu cid;t IFTtft SETTING THEM sTSFVRpSpTEAa. IH THE GARDEN -REMOVE. PAPER AND GLASS AND MOVE. 5&?i0 BOX INTO LIGHT. VT- : . NOT DIRECT SUN" ' N - DO NOT ALLOW TO VOa3A r Cover box with glass dry out. water. f VSAV AND HEAVY PAPER TO FROM BELOW. -y YiVV EXCLUDE LIGHT. KEEP EXCESSIVE WATERING (3!i3V IN COOL LOCATION. CAUSES DAMPING. OPtf. j edge of a ruler to make shallow indentations in the soil; sow thinly, cover lightly, and firm the scil with a block of wood. By lowering the box in a tub of water, the soil may now be thoroughly thor-oughly soaked without danger of washing the seeds from their places. A wet blanket of newspaper newspa-per may be placed over the soil to keep it from drying, and the box set in a warm, dark place until the seeds sprout. ' , Immediately sprouts appear remove re-move this blanket, and place the box in the sunniest window you own. A kitchen window is good, because be-cause humidity is always greater there. If a pane of glass is kept over the box at night, moisture will be conserved; but always lift an edge of this cover during the day, for ventilation; wipe off moisture mois-ture which condenses on it, and remove re-move it entirely when the plants grow high enough to touch it. Watering must be thorough; soak the soil whenever it grows dry; and do this without washing the soil. Seed boxes handled this way seldom sel-dom suffer from "damping off," which is a fungous disease that kills little plants. But if you do have this trouble, then disinfectants can be obtained which will minimize it. Being constantly under observation observa-tion the seed box enables the amateur ama-teur to learn at first hand the way seedlings grow, and the conditions which encourage healthy progress. A small box in a sunny window will give the seeds of a few favorite varieties of Victory Garden vegetables vege-tables several weeks' head-start this spring. If you have no cold frame or hotbed, hot-bed, yet do not want to be limited to the selection of plants usually in the market, the seed box offers a way to grow your own. The name "flat" is usually applied ap-plied to the seed box. It may be of any convenient size, from a cigar box to the standard florist's flat, which is usually 14 by 20 inches, 4 inches deep. Holes may be bored in the bottom of the box to assist drainage, though if the boxes are not watertight, excess water has na difficulty in escaping through the cracks. A cigar box should be reinforced by wire to keep it from falling apart. Soil used in a seed box should always al-ways be put through a sieve. The coarse soil may be used in the bot-i bot-i torn, the fine on top. Florists' pot-; pot-; ting soil is the best, or a fine gar- den loam, about half sand. Seed may be broadcast one va-. va-. riety to a .flat; or sown in rows, which allows several varieties to be grown in the same box, each row being labeled. The broadcast method meth-od has some advantage with tiny seeds. Seeds which are broadcast are usually less crowded 'than those In 4 rows. If you sow in rows, use the |