ON THE SEED. 247 



"Lucerne has been transplanted to the distance of six 

 inches from each other : and the plants growing larger, in 

 consequence of their roots having a wider range for food, 

 others have been transplanted to the distance of a foot ; 

 and others, again, as far as two feet asunder ; and it was 

 constantly found that the plants grew and flourished, in 

 proportion as the distance between them increased. 



Grains of wheat, sown very thin, have yielded from 

 twenty to a hundred ears of corn. 



Emily. There must, however, be a limit to this econ- 

 omy of seed. 



Mr*. B. No doubt : land is not to be had at pleasure ; 

 but so long as the same extent of soil may be made to 

 yield a better harvest, by sowing a less quantity of seed,, 

 it is no doubt highly advantageous. % 



The only exception to this rule is when you aim at pro- 

 ducing long and slender stems. This is the case with 

 hemp and flax. Comparative little value is set upon the 

 seed : the stems, for making linen, are the essential pro- 

 duce. Those seeds must therefore be sown very thick,. 

 in order that the stems may grow long and upright, and 

 no space be allowed them to branch out. 



The Italian corn, with the straw of which hats are made, 

 is sown very thick, with the same intention, and cultiva- 

 ted on a barren rocky soil, in order that a deficiency of 

 nourishment may give the straw that morbid delicacy and 

 slender form which render the Leghorn hats so fine. 



Let us now turn our attention to garden culture. When 

 seeds are sown from foreign parts, you may form some 

 judgment of the degree of temperature and nature of the 

 soil which they require, by the latitude and elevation of 

 the spot whence they came. Seeds from tropical climates 

 should generally be sown in hotbeds, having stone or 

 wooden frames : the latter, being a worse conductor of 

 heat, preserve plants from the cold better than the former. 

 Experience teaches us that hotbeds are preferable to hot- 

 houses, both for the germination of the seed, and the 

 growth of very young plants ; and small hothouses are 

 preferable to large ones (though of an equal temperature,) 



1349. What is said of the transplanting of Lucerne 7 1350. How 

 should hemp and flax be sown, and why! 1351. What is said of the 

 culture of Italian corn? 1352. And of garden seeds sown from for- 

 eigu parts 1 1353. What does experience teach us in relation to hot- 

 beds and hothouses'? 



