Autuinu Soz.'iiK: in the Kitchen Garden 



565 



then, will lie in the ground inert till the suc- 

 ceeding spring. And, lastly, as well as least 

 in numbers, are those kinds of seeds which 

 will not, under any circumstances, vegetate 

 till they have lain over the first year in the soil ; 

 and some of which, if not sown till the next 

 spring after they have ripened, will lie for 

 two, three, and even four or more years be- 

 fore sprouting. 



Among seeds which braird freely when 

 shed or sown at the period of their ripening, 

 those of the natural grasses are conspicuous ; 

 and the seeds of one of the prettiest of these, 

 the Briza media, will scarcely vegetate at all if 

 kept over till the spring ; therefore, we are safe 

 in concluding that July, or the beginning of 

 August, is a very suitable, if not the best 

 period for sowing down gi-ass lawns or pas- 

 tures, more especially if newly-ripened seeds 

 are used, seeing that their greater vital 

 strength, combined with the higher tempera- 

 ture of the soil at that season, is productive 

 of more vigorous growth in the young plants 

 than those present which are the produce of 

 spring-sown seeds. Of seeds which lie over 

 till spring, although sown as soon as they are 

 ripe, most kinds will come up notwithstand- 

 ing that their sowing is delayed till towards 

 the end of autumn ; but there are others, such 

 as many members of the Gentian family, 

 which will only come up thinly if such delay 

 is made, and that, in some instances, only 

 after they have lain till the second spring. 

 The splendid Nepaul lily (Lilium giganteum) 

 presents a notable example of seeds which 

 Avill not braird till the second spring, although 

 sown as soon as they ripen, and which if not 

 then sown will lie till the third or fourth 

 spring. Many had received the seeds of this 

 elegant plant from friends in its native countrj^, 

 and tossed away the soil in which they had 

 sown them, on finding no appearance of young 

 l)lants, after they had lain for a year or two ; 

 nor was it added to our cultivated flora till 

 young plants appeared in some laid-aside 

 pots, the fourth year after sowing. The seeds 

 of the hawthorn, holly, common ash, and 

 other plants which usually lie over a year, are 

 prepared in " the rot-heap," as it is techni- 

 cally called, by mixing them with earth or 



sand, and allowing these to lie in a pit or 

 heap for about a year before they are sown, 

 but even some of them may be got to braird 

 the first spring, if taken when nearly ripe, 

 their pulpy or other outer covering rubbed 

 off, and immediately sown. 



Seeds of some by no means very delicate 

 growing plants, such as those of Indian corn, 

 kidney beans, gourds, &c.,will quickly perish 

 if sown before the temperature of the soil and 

 atmosphere is sufticiently high to promote 

 their growth. All such, however, are natives 

 of warm climates, and do not come under 

 the designation of either native or acclimatized 

 plants ; hence, although sowing at the period 

 of their seed ripening may be suitable for 

 them in their native regions, it is inapplicable 

 in colder climates. But, on the other hand, 

 it does not follow that because plants are 

 natives of warmer regions their seeds may 

 not be sown in our climate when they ripen ;. 

 for some seeds, such as those of the potato, 

 tobacco. Cape gooseberry, thorn-apple, &c., 

 will retain their vitality in the earth through- 

 out our coldest winters, although the plants 

 producing them would, in all stages of their 

 growth, be killed by only very slight frosts. 



From the preceding remarks it will appear 

 evident that much valuable time might be 

 saved in rearing plants, were the sowing of 

 newly ripened seeds more generally practised. 

 Doubtless this can only be done with home- 

 grown seeds, or those which are procurable 

 at the proper time ; but even these are no in- 

 considerable portion of what plant growers 

 have to deal with. And surely it is not be- 

 yond the reach of botanical or horticultural 

 science to discover modes or means, where- 

 by delays in brairding, e^•en the most 

 obdurate of over-dried or long-kept seeds, 

 may be overcome. Some little advances 

 in this direction have, no doubt, been 

 made, but much yet remains to be done ; 

 for the "rot-heap" previously alluded to is 

 but a dilatory and clumsy mode of over- 

 coming the resistance of the seed shell to the 

 vegetating of its kernel. Of other modes 

 which are employed for the like purposes, the 

 following are among the most successful, but 

 their application has hitherto partaken toa 



