X V. \<». 37. 



AND KORTICULTUKAL REGISTER 



291^ 



|;.\l AUKS ON sKi;i>s a.\i» skkpsmkn — 



SOSVINU SLEDS, CAUSES OF l-'AILUKE, 

 be. 



The prodticlion of living plants from ■innll 

 ins of seed ilroppod in tho esrih, is one of llic 

 ■I wondcrliil nnd bciiiitifiil iipprntlnns of Naliin-. 

 Il«n examined by thf lij,'lit of Science, it is 

 nd to b« cfected by the combined agency of 

 tb, air, moisture nnd bent ; and to ensure dtic- 

 s, it is necessary thit these four elements be 

 [ibinod in due but dilT.Toiit proportion!*, nccord- 

 to tlie nature and babitd oftlio ditTcrent kinds 

 eds. Honce arises the ditliciilty of causing' 

 10 kinds to vegetate ; and tbo uncertainly 

 icli eardcnrrs {jenerally fi'el respecling many of 

 ir crops until (bey see the young plants apponr. 

 nee. also, arise most of the complaints which 

 made to seedsmen, and the censures which are 

 ustly cast upon them by inexperienced culti- 

 ors. 



n order to explain this subject, nnd with a view 

 essen the evil, the Proprietor of the Rochester 

 id Store has added the testimony of several highly 

 p«ctable and successful cultivators in the coiiii- 

 and some accounts of their methods of prepar- 

 and sowing severnl of the most important kinds 

 eeds that are liable to fail with careless man- 

 ment. 



The Editor of the Albany Cultivator, spcakin;: 

 this general subject, says : — 

 ' Seeds often fail to grow ; and the seedsman 

 often faulted, for vending bad seeds, when the 

 86 of their not growing is owing to the gnrd- 

 r or planter. To induce germination, moisture, 

 iMpheric air, and a certain temperature, are in- 

 oensable ; and it is also requisite that light be 

 lluded from the seed, until the nutriinenl of the 

 d is exhausted, or until the root can draw nour- 

 nent from the soil. The first effect of the nir, 

 tt, >qd moisture upon the seed is, to change its 

 kerties — to convert its starch into sugar — into 

 Tt of milky pulp, the proper food of the embryo 

 nt. If at this stage, the seed becomes dry, its 

 Jily is believed to be destroyed ; but if these 

 nts are permitted to use their influence, the 

 ♦ tents of the seed swell by degrees, and tlio first 

 It of the future root having formed, breaks 

 lugb the shell in a downward direction, and 

 Nt the same time the first point of the future 

 n romes forth in an upward direction. The 

 eence of the air, heat, and moisture are as in- 

 nensable to the growth of the plant, as they are 

 iie germination of the sei'd. 

 • Now it often happens, that when seeds ore 

 lied in fresh stirred ground, or when the soil is 

 st, they undergo the incipient progress of fer- 

 italion, and the carih not being pressed upon 

 Ti, nnd dry weather ensuing, the moisture isab- 

 cied, and the seeds perish. Too much mois- 

 ! is also often destructive to the vital principle 

 eeds — and others again are buried too d'"ep to 

 rivified by solar and atmospheric influence. — 

 ; tirst object in planting, therefore, should be to 

 ;e the seed just sn f:ir under the surface, and so 

 over it with earth, as shall barely secure to it 

 )nstant supply of moisture. There are many 

 ds, as of the carrot, parsnip, orchard grass, &.C., 

 ch if not previously steeped, or the soil well 

 verized and pressed upon them, fail to grow for 

 It of moisture. Hence, i^i sowing orchard grass, 

 i found prudent to spread it upon a floor and 

 nkle it with water, before it is sown, and to 

 ■ a roller over the ground after the seed is 



sown ; and hfiict', in light gardi'ii niiiiilil, il is ad- 

 visable t." pri'.-s with tlio Imo or spiile, llio enrlli 

 upon all light seedd after they arc sown." 



Oil SotpinfC Flower Srriit. 



Divid Thoma«, an experienced nnd very suc- 

 cessful Florist remarks : — N. (J. Farmer, vol I, 

 p. ,■>(>. 



'' For largo seeds, like the lioan or thu Pen, a 

 coarso soil is well adapted, as they con force their 

 >vny to the surface from any moderate depth : but 

 small seeds require difl'ereiit treatment ; and we 

 lay it li.iwn as a safe rule, the finer the seed, the 

 liiior should be the soil. 



How does Nature, exemplifying Supremo Wis- 

 dom, sow her most delicate seeds ? She scatters 

 them on the shady ground, trusting to the rain or 

 tho frost to cover them, (of course slightly,) nnd 

 they gerininalc bcfuro the sun has acquired powi^r 

 enough to scorch them. The dust-liko seeds of 

 the Orchis and Cypripedium soinetinics grow in 

 beds of damp moss. 



Common garden loam, whether clayey or sandy, 

 ia much improved by a dressing of vegetable earth 

 from the woods, well mixed before planting. If 

 prepared in the preceding autumn, and pulverized 

 by the frost, all the better. 



Such a soil is favorable to seeds of almost any 

 kind, but cssenliat to tho finer nnd more delicate 

 sorts. The preparation of the soil alone, however, 

 is not enough. Fine seeds may be smothered if 

 covered from more than one-eighth to half an inch 

 deep ; and their short roots may be parched if ex- 

 posed to the sun except in morning and evening. 

 To afne soil, therefore, we must add tho protec- 

 tion o( shade, and in time of drought, a regular sup- 

 ply of mo!j<i(re. If the seeds arc sown in an open 

 border, a sprinkling of water in the evenings is 

 best, but carefully abstain from applying so much 

 as will bake the ground." 



On Preparing and Sotcing Onion Seed. 



W. Risley— (N. G. Farmer, vol. 2, page 38,) 

 says : 



" First, soak the seeds in water from six to 

 Iwentyfour hours — some seeds being slower to ad- 

 mit moisture than others, is the ditFcrence in the 

 time required. After soaking, drain off the water, 

 and mix the seeds with a sufficient quantity of 

 earth to absorb the moisture remaining on the 

 seeds ; stir them often that they may vegetate 

 evenly, and keep them in a moderate degree of 

 warmth and moisture until they are sprouted, when 

 they are ready to put into the ground. If the 

 weather should be unfavorable, put the seeds in a 

 cool place, which will check their growth. • * 



It was left in that situation until the time of 

 sowing. In April, as soon as the soil was suffi- 

 ciently dry, the ploughing was commenced, and the 

 second day, at night, the sowing was finished, with 

 seed prepared as before stated. 7(1 one tceek the 

 onions ivern up, rows were soon visible near twen- 

 ty rods, and no weeds yet appeared. TITe opera- 

 lion of Stirling the soil with rakes and hoes was 

 then commenced, and the ivceds were not suffered 

 to grow during the summer. (It is a mistaken no- 

 tion that It is not time to hoK a garden until it is 

 green with weeds.) The first of September the 

 onions were harvested, and the product was over 

 two thousand bushels of fine onions from two and a 

 half acres." 



On Soaking Mangel H'urtzel Seed. 



J. Rapaljee says, (N. G. Farmer, vol. 1. p. 149,) 

 " I prepared half an acre of land for Mangel 



Wiirl/.el, and obliiiucd llio Hced from your agent 

 at Cnnnnduigun. .Misr sonkiiig tho seed one day, 

 i comihenccd sowing ; but rnin cniiic nn, and tbo 

 soil being rather c'nycy, it was a wlmlo week be- 

 fore I could sow the reniniiidcr. Tho lued was 

 snaked all tins tino!, and supjiusing it wna spoiled 

 or injured, I sowed it thicker than usual, and had 

 not enough to' finish the ground. Accordingly I 

 sent to the sumo place and got iiiKre seed, and 

 sowed the roinaiinler without any so.iking ; so that 

 part of my ground was sowed with seed soaked 

 one day, aiiolhiT part one week, and a third pan 

 not all. 



Now for the result : — The part soaked one 

 week, came up first, and much too thickly ; — the 

 port soakcil one day, caine up slowly and very 

 thinly; while the part not soaked, did not come up 

 ' at all. Thus showing conclusively, the n'.cessitjr 

 ' of thoroughly soaking these seeds, and tho little 

 danger there is to be apprehended from so.iking 

 too long. I am confident that inat'.'ntion to this 

 subject, is the most frequent cause of the failure 

 of the Mangel Worlzel and Sugar Beet seeds." 



William Oarbult, (N. G. Far. vol. I. 20,) says, 

 " Much complaint is sometimes made of Mangel 

 Wurtzel and Sugar Beet seed failing to grow. 

 These seeds are not quite as sure of vegetation ns 

 some kinds ; still, if rightly prepared, and sown 

 when the ground is ;ii good condition, before the 

 weather becomes too dry, they will very seldom 

 fail. The seed should be soaked In soft water, 

 standing in a warm place, ybr three or /our days be- 

 fore sowing. The shell of the seed is very hard, 

 and requires a long tune soaking for it to become 

 S'iflened so that the germ can burst it open. I 

 have sometimes known it fail after being soaked, 

 owing to late sowing and dry weather." 



Planting too deeply. — In vol. I, p. 97, W. R. 

 Smith states that he " planted half an acre of Man- 

 gel Wurlzel with two pounds of seed from the 

 Rochester Seed Store. In a few days some scat- 

 tering plants made their appearance. * * » 

 Well, nearly two weeks after, I was surprised to 

 find a fair number-kf plants just peeping through, 

 and from their weak r.v' thin appoorance, evident- 

 ly wearied with tlitir ■ iirney to the surface, which 

 thoy never could have reached, il the soil had not 

 been light." 



Parsnip, Carrot, Celery and Parsley Seeds are 

 all slow to vegetate, and if sown late and dry 

 weather succeeds, they will nut often come up. 

 These seeds should be sown early, in fine soil, 

 rolled or pressed down and kept moist. Mr. Geo. 

 Slicffer of Wheatland, raises large quantities of 

 carrots for feeding. Hi; soaks the seed 48 hours, 

 then rolls it in plaster, and when sown covers it 

 from one half to th.-ee quarters of an inch deep. — 

 (N. G. Far. vol. 2, p. 181.) 



Cncumber, Melon and Sijuiish Seeds, seldom lose 

 their vitality by age or otherwise, but when sown 

 they often fail to grow, owing to the ground being 

 cold or wet These, and some other seeds, will 

 invariably rot if sown loo early — before the ground 

 is Biifficiently warm. Lima Beans and Sweet 

 Corn often fail from the same causes. 



Egg Plant Seed will not vegetate in the open 

 ground — it requires a good hot-bed. 



Locust Seed must be thoroughly s. 'aided, by 

 pouring boiling hot water and letting it soak 24 

 liours. — jV'eu) Gtneste Farmer. 



Live for others, that others may live for thee. 



