TRUCK FAR]\nNG. 605 



ers, making between them departures weekly for Kcw York and weekly 

 to Philadelpliia by the Clyde Philadelphia Line. A now line to Balti- 

 more is, however, contemplated. 



Although larger acreages arc planted in truck in the vicinity of 

 Charleston than in that of Savannah, the latter Las the advantage in 

 transportation facilities. 



(1) The Ocean Steamship Company has a tri- weekly service to isfew 

 York with the finest steamships of the Atlantic coast, and under the 

 management of the able agent, General G. M. Sorrel, the manner of 

 handling and caring for produce has improved. 



(2) The Boston and Savannah Steamship Company, a weekly, with 

 fine ships like former. 



(3) The Ocean Steamship Company, a weekly to Philadelphia. 



(4) The Merchants and Miners' Transportatiou Company, also a bi- 

 weekly service to Baltimore. 



The two Charleston and Xew York lines with three steamers between 

 them have a bi-weel-:ly service to Kew York, and the Clyde Philadel- 

 phia Line dispatches one steamer weekly. 



SEED. 



Tlie quality of seed is of more importance in market gardening and 

 truck farming Ihau in auy other branch of agriculture. Should they 

 fail to germinate, a loss of a couple of weeks might be fatal to the pros- 

 pects of the entire crop, the produce being comi^aratively worthless un- 

 less placed upon the market at the proper time. Xo such dangerous 

 casualty applies to grain or cotton planting. Again, if che seed do not 

 prove true to variety, the same contingency obtains for an unpopular 

 variety will meet .with very poor sale. Hence the imi)ortance of the 

 truck farmer's procuring his seeds from the most reliable sources. Poor 

 ones are dear at any price ! He can b'etter afford to pay treble the 

 price for those which from experience he knows to be good, than to ex- 

 j)eriment with cheaper, for half the success of his cro]) will depend 

 upon the seed ho uses. In my experience I have found a considerable 

 difference in the trustworthiness of some of the most extensive seed deal- 

 ers. It is the best i)olicy for the truck farmer to save his own seed, 

 when possible, but our Southern climate is not favorable to the quality 

 of some home-grown seed. Thus cabbages, caulitlowers, beets, carrots, 

 turnips, &c., and a few others, natives of cold climates, would, even 

 the first season, bo inferior when produced from Southern seed; but 

 there is no reason why the Southerner should not use his own seed of 

 cucumbers, egg-plants, onions, melons, squashes, peppers, and tomatoes, 

 being plants indigenous to southern climates. 



If there be the slightest doubt in reference to the freshness of seed 

 the safest course is to make a iDreliminary test of their vitality. Dr. 

 Noble, ofthcTharandt Seed Central Experiment Station, Germany, has 

 devised an apparatus of porous earthenware for this purpose; and there 

 are several others in use in the United States. To test seed, I place a 

 sample, wrapped in moist cloth or blotting-paper, in the bottom of a 

 small empty flower-pot, which is plunged in the soil of a larger one ; a 

 third, full of moist soil, of the size of the first is set in that upon the par- 

 cel, thus surrounding it with moisture. The sample can be readily ex- 

 amined and the percentage of sound seed easily ascertained. 



There is considerable difference of opinion among experimenters m 

 regard to the duration of vitality in agricultural seeds. It depends 

 probably upon different climatic influences. 



