31 



matured, heavy seed, almost entirely pure in its variety. There is 

 the buying of the purest possible stock-seed; the careful labouring 

 of the land to make it clean from obnoxious weeds, thus giving a 

 good opportunity to the seed sown to develop most freely, not 

 being kept down by overruling weeds and other stronger varieties; 

 and furthermore the constant labour on the land in cultivation to 

 keep same clean. All this tends to secure the purest, heaviest 

 seed-crop. But at the same time it tends likewise, in connection 

 with the risk of having either a short, or practically no crop at-all 



ROSENDAEL. BEDRIEGERTJES ("THE DECEIVERS"). 



(for grass-seed growing |is an exceedingly risky-one in regard to 

 yield), to make the cost-price oft times a very high-one. 



On the other hand, there is the old system of seed-collecting, 

 which is still being carried on largely. And we need hardly say, 

 that here there can scarcely be a question of getting seed in 

 quite as pure a state as is the case with the produce of the 

 modern system ; for with the old system we have before us a field 

 covered with all sorts of grasses, all of which are to be cut in 

 succession as they come to maturity. Now, however carefully 

 this collection is being done, the number of pounds a seed-collector 

 brings together daily and by which his earnings of that day are 

 being fixed, tends to hasten him to bring together the number of 



