136 



IRISH GARDENING. 



root seeds must be carefully sifted and cleaned 

 when thoroughly dry, and placed hi dry airy 

 presses or drawers for the season of sowing, 

 correctly naming all to avoid trouble. 



Leek. — At one time every cottager in Scotland 

 saved his own special strain of this valuable 

 Vegetable ; in the Border district so much was 

 this the case that Leek Clubs were formed and 

 extraordinary specimens exhibited at the winter 

 meetings. Select for seed- saving thick clean 

 shapely roots without any sign of bulbous in- 

 clination, and long blanching properties are 

 desired, although in reality the grower is 

 responsible for producing the blanch. Seed 

 selection from well blanched plants year after 

 year is bound to have a marked effect on the 

 strain. Misshapen, coarse roots and pale green, 

 weakly foliaged specimens unable to resist 

 frost should not be encouraged. 



The Onion — closely allied to the Leek — is in 

 seed exactly similar, but vastly different in 

 other respects ; is Very easily grown for seed, 

 and most interesting. In selecting bulbs for 

 seed make sure that the stock is clean and free 

 from mildew. Firm compact bulbs with very 

 thin natural necks (not manipulated and fined 

 down by twisting or drawing the si^bstance away) 

 must be chosen for planting in spring. Coarse 

 s^jlit bulbs are useless, except for producing 

 lots of seed, but they will bring a disappointing 

 race. The stem of the Onion when carrying 

 the flower head is brittle and easily broken, so 

 it would be wise to stake and tie all flowering 

 stems. Keep the Onion away from its neighbour 

 the Leek when growing for seed. 



Parsley — Select for seed production summer- 

 sown plants of a fine moss-leaved character, 

 which have passed through the winter. By 

 this method one will get a harvest of seed in 

 the early summer months. It is a prolific seed- 

 bearer, and one must be careful to avoid dis- 

 eased or rusty-leaved plants. 



Celery. — Save from strong health}'' typical 

 plants free from either rot or leaf rust. Like 

 the Parsley, it produces a large quantity of seed. 



Vegetable Marrow gives a large number of 

 seeds from one fruit, and a shapely well grown 

 fruit is preferable to a large coarse one as a 

 seed bearer. The seeds can be washed out from 

 the pulp in autumn, then thoroughly dried 

 before being jDacked away. 



Lettuce. — -Select plants which have stood 

 firm and compact tor a long time before shoAving 

 the flower stalk. Coarse Cabbage-like heads are 

 not the best, but, of course, the grower must at 

 all times siiit his own taste so far as variety goes. 



Melons should be selected for flavour, size, 

 and freedom of setting fruit, and a thick flesh 



and thin rincl are necessary adjuncts to a first 

 rate Melon. Wash the seeds from the pulp 

 and fibre and dry thoroughly before stormg. 



Tomato. — Choose round highly - coloured 

 fnuts free from coarseness, corrugations or 

 splitting, and from tree fruiting healthy plants 

 only. Diseased or otherwise defective fnuts 

 must not be selected. Allow the fruit to rot, 

 then wash out the seed and let it dry on a sieve 

 before placing in envelope. 



Generally speaking the above-named Veget- 

 ables and fruits embrace our common everyday 

 needs, but we can hardly pass over the pleasing 

 and brighter side of the garden without comment. 

 Many of the annual and biennial flowers of every 

 garden can be saved in this not altogether ideal 

 atmosphere. 



Antirrhinums give quantities of seed for the 

 gathering. An attempt at keeping them pure 

 could be made, but the chances are that mixed 

 colours would crop up. This however, in war 

 times is unavoidable and is occurring in our 

 best strains. 



Single Asters are prolific seed bearers, and 

 in a fine warm season the germinating power 

 will be normal in well-saved seed. 

 "Stocks. — Saved from strong compact plants, 

 the seed will prove equal to any first rate 

 seedsman's stock. It is, however, a tedious 

 operation to shell this seed and one's finger nails 

 get sore before qiiarter of an ounce is secured. 



Godetia, Clarkia, Larkspur, Cornflower, 

 Nigella, Malope, Marigold are only a few of the 

 many pretty flowers of the garden which could 

 be easily saved to ease the seed supply. 



The choicer things — both indoor and out — 

 such as Begonia, Gloxinia, Primula, Cyclamen, 

 Carnation, Calceolaria, Cineraria, Auricula, 

 Nicotiana, Schizanthus, &c., can all be saved 

 in an ordmary fine season sufficiently well to 

 tide one over what may yet proVe to be a very 

 difficult series of years for seed growers and 

 kindred professions. 



Anyone possessing a spare piece of groimd 

 fairly open, and not unduly exposed to severe 

 gales, might profitably turn it into a seed- 

 growing portion of the garden. The seed trade 

 will not be damaged by this procedure ; on the 

 contrary, it will benefit in common with other 

 members of the community, for in all probability 

 it will have more than enough to do to procure 

 stocks to meet the extraordinary demand now 

 prevailing, and likely to prevail, for some years 

 to come ; and no amateur seed grower, be he 

 ever so expert in gardening, is likely to remain 

 a permanent rival to the highly-trained expert 

 seed grower. 



