SEEDS AND SEED SOWING. 55 



of their pristine vigor and productiveness when grown there 

 for years, or they may be greatly improved in such locations: 

 but, as a rule, it is a good plan to change seed occasionally, 

 and it often results in increased productiveness. This seems 

 to be a fact, while the reason of it is not always so plain. 



Stock Seed.— When seed raising is a large business, it is 

 out of the question to have all the specimens planted perfect in 

 every respect, but nothing should be planted except it is near the 

 desired type. Each year enough perfect specimens, or those close- 

 ly approximating perfection, should be selected to raise the seed 

 for the grower's use the following season. In this way the 

 quality of the grower's seed stock is kept up, and without 

 such care the stock of seed is liable to seriously deteriorate. 

 Seed so selected and improved from year to year is termed 

 stock seed. 



Seedsmen's Specialties.— Most seed growers and dealers have 

 some few lines of seed in which they are especially interested. 

 These they select with more than ordinary care. It is always 

 desirable to order seed of our specialties from those making 

 a specialty of our favorite kinds, unless we raise them our- 

 selves. To secure the best, it is well to order early in the 

 season. 



Seedsmen's Humbugs. — Almost without exception every dealer 

 in seeds sells humbugs, that is, worthless or very inferior 

 varieties. If he is honest, he offers them simply because his 

 customers want them. If he is dishonest, he is very apt to 

 misrepresent and praise them in order to make customers pay 

 a big profit. 



Novelties. — It is desirable to test novelties in seeds and 

 plants, but this should be done cautiously and, as a rule, it is 

 best not to be in too great haste to try new things. It is the 

 general experience of growers, that not more than one in ten 

 of the novelties in seeds, fruits and plants are any better than 

 those generally cultivated. In the history of the Minnesota 

 Experiment Station, the average of desirable' seed novelties 

 has been even less than this. 



THE DEVELOPMENT OF VARIETIES. 



There are laws that govern heredity and descent in plants as 

 well as in animals, and by intelligent selection and breeding 



