MARKET GARDENING AND FARMERS' GARDENS. (j57 



; realize more profit during a couple of weeks in spring from 

 water cresses than for their whole year's work in growing farm 

 crops. Any farmer wlio has water on his farm in the shape of 

 a brook or pond will do well to plant water cresses along the 

 margins. The seed can be had of any seedsman. If some patch 

 suitable for cranberry culture is planted with water cresses 



. instead, and flov^red as directed for cranberries, several thousand 

 dollars per acre may be realized from it, we have no doubt. 



The growing. Selection, and Preservation of Seed is a 

 subject on which we have not touched in the preceding pages, 

 but it is equally important in garden crops as in any of the 

 heavier farm crops. With many of the preceding crops, as 

 the beet, cauliflower, cabbage, carrot, lettuce, onion, and tur- 

 nip, the seed are grown by setting out in the spring a plant of 

 the previous year's growth. In all cases just such plants should 

 be selected for seed plants as it is desirable to raise. If earli- 

 ness is desired, select the earliest specimens that perfect, and let 

 no consideration of price tempt you to part with them. Many 

 of these crops can be made a week earlier by the careful selec- 

 tion of the earliest fine specimens. If size is desired, select the 

 largest and best shape for the seed. The shape of the red onion 

 has been entirely changed within a few years by this selection 

 of seed specimens. With the squashes, melons, and cucumbers 

 the same is true ; select the very best specimens for seed. The 

 seeds of the melon class are not ripe when the plant is, but 

 ripen upon the inside for some time after gathering. The 

 earliest beans, peas, corn, tomatoes, etc., are rushed off to market, 

 but they should in all cases be retained and ripened for seed. 



Purity of seed is a matter of the greatest importance to the 

 gardener, and each had better raise his own. Of course the late 

 ripened specimens will produce later crops than earlier ripened 

 ones. Another point is to have the seed free from other varie- 



