44 Thied Annual Report 



is that they have come up of themselves, — merely happenings. 

 The breeding of other plants have come about in much the same 

 way. When my grandfather would come home from New 

 York State, when on a visit, he would be loaded down with seeds 

 that had been given him, they being a better strain than he had, 

 or something new. We depend too much upon seedsmen for 

 seeds. You go into Boston to buy grass seed and ask them the 

 price. You will find two prices. You have to pay a little more 

 for the best clean seed. They will tell you they keep the best in 

 stock and sell the cheaper grade to the sub-dealers in the small 

 places, for they won't pay the price for the best seed. If you 

 buy and pay the price for the best seed the chances are that you 

 get good clear stock that will give you good results. 



How is it with other plants, along the same line, — the 

 muskmelon, for instance? I was particularly interested in the 

 growing of this crop because I was growing melons before com- 

 ing to New Hampshire. You will find no difficulty in getting 

 men to give you their experiences in raising them, and seedsmen 

 will give you seeds marked "extra" ; more often they are very 

 ordinary. It is a part of the question of breeding, to be able to 

 know the breeds, and whether you have true types. I can re- 

 member when I was a youngster in southern Michigan how plant 

 breeding was treated. When my father got ready to seed down, 

 grow wheat, or plant corn, if he didn't have corn that produced 

 a fair yield, he went to some other farmer whom he knew was 

 a good farmer, and obtained seed from him and planted it with 

 all the assurance that it would yield big because it came from a 

 good man. You may procure seeds from various sources and 

 at all prices but if the life is out of the seed you won't have 

 good results. 



I believe the question of plant breeding in horticulture and 

 horticultural work in particular, can be held up to the standard, 

 provided the man interested knows good plants when he sees 

 them ; knows the source of good live seeds, and knows how to 

 handle them. That is why I believe in concentration of efforts. 

 If he spreads his efforts over a great many crops he won't get 

 the results he will get if he would concentrate them. You nuist 

 know the individuality of a plant to do your best with it. If a 

 man is going to grow geraniums or roses he is bound to acquire 

 all the knowledge possible in regard to their growth, if he is to 

 succeed. 1 know a man getting $4000 a year as foreman of a 

 greenhouse, for raising roses. He doesn't pretend to know all 

 about roses, but he can grow them. He is making a success of 

 them ; he sells roses for $20 a dozen ; that is concentrated eft"ort. 



The same is true of the orchard. It is possible to get annual 

 bearers ; you nuist learn to know the trees, — the different kinds. 



