SEEDS AND SEED RAISING. C7 



India Lettuce, useless, except for our hottest summer 

 weather, and perfectly worthless for forcing. This was 

 the most serious loss from bad seeds I ever encountered, 

 amounting to at least $1000. Last year, quite a number 

 of my neighbors lost heavily in purchasing seed of the 

 erect variety of Thyme, instead of the spreading variety ; 

 the crop being all but worthless in consequence. No 

 ■wonder then that the market gardeners are so skeptical 

 about using seeds except those of their own raising, or 

 from those of their immediate neighbors, in whose knowl- 

 edge and honesty they have entire confidence. 



There is but little new to say of the manner of raising 

 seeds; the importance of selecting the purest specimens 

 of each variety, and of keeping plants that are of the 

 same families, as far distant apart as the limits of the 

 ground will admit, is now well .understood. It is not 

 practicable, however, to raise all the seeds wanted in our 

 vegetable gardens, in our climate, and consequently we 

 have to rely on importation for seeds of Brocoli, Cauli- 

 flower, some varieties of Cabbage, Radishes, Peas, etc. 

 But the great majority of seeds used are raised here, our 

 climate being particularly well adapted for maturing them. 

 In the raising of market vegetables, near large cities, the 

 usual practice is, for each grower to grow only a few vari- 

 eties, and these of the sorts most profitable to his location or 

 soil. For example, we of New Jersey, in the immediate 

 vicinity of Xew York, grow Beets, Cabbages, Cauliflow- 

 er, Cucumbers, Lettuce, Radishes, and Turnips, as a first 

 crop; followed by Celery, Thyme, Sage, Brocoli, and late 

 Cabbage, as a second crop. Of these varieties we save 

 all the seeds that it is practicable for us to raise ; while 



