18 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



they can be made at any distance apart by turning two fur- 

 rows together, and levelling off the tops of the ridges. Plants 

 like mangel-wurzel and carrots grow better or larger on 

 ridges than on level land, particularly on moist soils ; and 

 this would apply to old, rather than to sod ground. 



An intellio'ent cultivator will see at once that these direc- 

 tions will be subject to considerable variations, for the reason 

 that some crops will be better sown on a level surface, some 

 on ridges, and some in raised beds. All this should be pro- 

 vided for by the judgment and experience of the owner. 



We now come to seed and its planting. Pure seed and 

 good seed — this is not exactly a myth, but is not as common 

 as it ought to be. We may buy pure seed, and still it may 

 be so old that it will not vegetate ; and, if so, it would not 

 be good pure seed. 



By pure seed, I mean pure in the common acceptation of 

 the term as applied to improved breeds of cattle or vege- 

 tables, and not as a pure type of the original species. To 

 have good seed is an important matter, for without it the 

 crop fails ; or, if from impure or badly-bred stock, it may be 

 comparatively worthless except for cattle-feeding. There- 

 fore, if the crop is intended for market or for family con- 

 sumption, the seed of a variety adapted to the market, that 

 will produce handsome, well-shaped, edible specimens, is the 

 only kind a person should be satisfied with. 



Perhaps for stock-feeding, where a large product to the 

 acre is desirable, a certain degree of coarseness might be 

 permitted, although smooth, well-grown specimens would 

 probably be better in quality. 



It would not be in place here to go into a long essay 

 attempting to show how to produce the best seeds. But the 

 difficulty we all have to encounter in procuring good seed, 

 even from the most honest and reliable seedsmen (and I think 

 we have such men), makes it proper to suggest to farmers 

 who may happen to have a very good variety of roots or 

 vegetables, to keep a quantity to propagate seed sufficient for 

 their own use. Now, to do this successfully, great care must 

 be exercised in the selection of the stock intended for that 

 purpose. And the person making the selection must have 

 an ideal in his mind of the exact thing he wants to perpetu- 

 ate ; and that should be of the highest standard. And this 



