60 The Garden. 



that should be brushed over also. No insect can possibly, or 

 will attempt to cross this barrier ; the rezoil never dries, but 

 always remains sticky and clammy — its action as a trap is 

 therefore obvious." 



But, however numerous and effective the other remedies, 

 " eternal vigilance" can not be dispensed with in dealing with 

 the pests of the garden. 



XI.-SAVING SEEDS. 



Choose the best plants for seed — the most true to their Mnd 

 and the most perfectly developed ; allow the seeds to become 

 perfectly ripe before gathering them; gather when dry, and 

 especially take care that they are perfectly dry when put up ; 

 store them in paper bags carefully labeled, and keep them in a 

 dry, cool place. Great care is necessary in raising seeds to 

 preserve the sorts unmixed, as varieties of the same species 

 or similar species are almost sure to mix if planted near each 

 other. If you raise more than one kind of corn, or pumpkin, 

 or cucumber, or melon in the same garden, you can not be 

 sure of pure ' seed. The squashes and pumpkins may mix, or 

 the melons with either, the pollen of one being conveyed by 

 the wind, or sometimes by bees or other insects, to the pistil 

 of the other. 



XII.— EOTATION OF CROPS. 



Why rotation of crops is beneficial has been already shown, 

 and if the reader has forgotten, let him turn back to the first 

 chapter. The following is a good rotation for a given portion 

 of a garden : 



First year, cabbages. 



Second " onions. 



Third " carrots, beets, or parsneps. 



Fourth " potatoes or turnips. 



Fifth " celery, spinach, or lettuce. 



Celery is excellent to precede asparagus, onions, cauliflower?, 



