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HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



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kinds that will attain perfection better in 

 Europe than America, particularly such seeds 

 as require a low temperature for perfect 

 development. Hence, whenever a full variety 

 of seeds is attempted to be grown in any one 

 district, either here or in Europe, some crops 

 will be a complete failure and many partially 

 so, for we might as well attempt to "accli- 

 matize " the white bear of Iceland to the 

 jungles of Africa, or the Bengal tiger to the 

 forests of Norway, as to perfectly develop 

 the seed of Oats in our Southern States, or 

 the seed of Maize in northern Europe, Still, 

 we find these attempts are made, and will be 

 made by inexperienced cultivators of seeds, 

 resulting not only in ultimate failure to the 

 grower, but also seriously injuring those to 

 whom such undeveloped seeds are sold. When 

 Beeds are grown in a latitude unsuited to 

 their development, they will invariably p(U'- 

 petuate weak progeny. A marked case in 

 point is the Oat, a grain requiring a low tem- 

 pei'ature for perfect development ; hence the 

 superiority of the Scotch or Irish Oats over 

 those grown in the hot and dry summers of 

 the United States. The average weight per 

 bushel of Scotch Oats may be given as forty- 

 four pounds, while the average of Oats grown 

 in the United States is about thirty-two 

 pounds per bushel ; j'et we find that Scotch 

 Oats weighing forty-four pounds i)er bushel, 

 when sown in the Middle States under favor- 

 able conditions, deteriorate to forty pounds 

 l^er bushel during the first season from the 

 imported seed ; that product being again 

 sown, they still further deteriorate to thirtj'- 

 five or tliirty-six pounds per bushel, which 

 again being sown the third year, falls down 

 to the normal condition of the American Oats, 

 say thirty or thi-rty-two pounds per bushel. 

 These facts suggest the query wliether it 

 would not pay our farmers to import their 

 seed Oats in order to get this improved 

 quality. In my opinion there is no other way 

 to do it; for no matter how carefully the 

 selection of seeds is made, deterioration will 

 take place when the crop is grown under cir- 

 cumstances uncongenial to it. A lifetime 

 spent in the practical study of hoiticulture, 

 which is close akin to agriculture, has forced 

 me to the conclusion that there is no such 

 thing as acclimatization of plants. The Maize 

 of the American continent resists all attempts 

 to bring the crop to full maturity in the cli- 

 mate of Great Britain, while the Oat {Avena 

 sativa) gives comparatively abortive results 

 when grown in our semi-tropical summers. 

 Hundreds of instances in families of plants 

 grown for their fruits, flowers, or seeds, could 

 be given to show that, whenever any attempt 

 is made to change characteristics incident to 

 their natural origin, no perceptible advance is 

 ever made. We all know that in attempts to 

 acclimatize the Fig, the Olive, and the; Orange 

 tree in the open air in any locality where the 

 thermometer falls below zero, the complete 

 destruction of the trees would be the result, 

 unless artificially protected. This result is 

 marked and complete, and is universally 

 known, even to such as have not made these 

 matters a special study. But every cultivator 

 of large experience knows that the same rule 

 runs through all grades of vegetation, and 

 that the hardening or acclimatizing of plants 

 has not advanced, as far as the records go. 



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We remember when the Chinese Wistaria was 

 grown only in our green-houses ; now it is 

 seen everywhere as a hardy vine ; but it was 

 in ignorance of its hardy nature that it was 

 ever protected, for it was equally as "hardy" 

 the day of its first introduction as it is to-day. 

 The garden and farm seeds in general use in 

 the United States, I have said, are mainly 

 grown here, though some are better grown 

 in other countries. I will briefly state the 

 localities so far found to be best suited to the 

 greatest development of the different kinds, 

 and the sources from which seedsmen draw 

 their supplies. I am indebted for much 

 information on this subject to Mr. William 

 Meggat, seed-grower, of Hartford, Conn., who 

 has given this subject special study for the 

 past twenty years. 



Asparagus is grown in New Jersey, on 

 Long Island, and in other portions of New 

 York, and probably other parts of the North- 

 ern and Middle States. 



Beets are grown in Central New York, 

 Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The Mangel 

 and Sugar Beets are as yet mostly imported. 



Beans (Bush) are mostly grown in New 

 Y''ork State, though Michigan, Wisconsin and 

 Pennsylvania are beginning to grow consider- 

 able quantities. 



Beans (Pole) are grown in Connecticut, 

 New Jersey, Pennsyhania, Maryland and 

 Delaware, and States further south. 



The Cabbage, one of our most important 

 crops, gives its best development near the 

 sea-coast. That grown on rich soils inland is 

 never so satisfactory. Hence our market 

 gardeners and farmers in the vicinity of New 

 York, from experience dearly bought, prefer 

 their Cabbage seed for an early crop to be 

 always grown on the easterly sidn of Long 

 Island, on the Atlantic coast, to that from any 

 other source. There is considerable grown in 

 Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and 

 Khode Island, but such has never come to be 

 held in any favor by our market gardeners in 

 the vicinity of New York, who, perhaps, are 

 as critical in such matters as anywhere in the 

 world. But little Cabbage seed is now im- 

 ported, though it is sold much cheaper in 

 Europe than here ; but the crop is too irapoi'- 

 tant to risk any consideration of price, for we 

 find that what are grown as the favorite 

 varieties in Europe are not to be compared, 

 for our purpose, with those we have ourselves 

 originated here. 



Cauliflower Seed is all imported from 

 Europe. All attempts that we have made to 

 grow the seed here have proved nearly abort- 

 ive. It requires a cool and rather moist 

 climate, and even under the best conditions 

 seeds sparingly. It has recently been tried in 

 California, but, so far, with only partiSrl success. 



Celery is another important crop of which 

 the seed is raised almost exclusively here ; at 

 least that in use among commercial garden- 

 ers, many of them growing a few pounds for 

 their own use annually at five times the cost 

 they could buy impoi'ted seed for ; the danger 

 being so great of getting a spurious sort that 

 they prefer doing so rather than run the risk. 

 Now, howevei', as the varieties best suited 

 for our climate become known, it is largely 

 grown by our regular seed-growers in New 

 York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New 

 Jersey. 



