SEED RAISING. 49 



to be blown by the wind, or carried by bees or other insects 

 from one plot to the other, and produce cross fertilization, 

 which will result in the production of mongrels, none of 

 which are likely to have any of the distinguishing charac- 

 teristics of their parents. It is, therefore, best to buy what 

 seeds are needed from seedsmen of well-established reputa- 

 tion, whose knowledge of their business, and of the growers, 

 generally enables them to be certain of their purity. Seeds- 

 men, as a rule, always endeavor to get the best they can, 

 and often pay extraordinary prices for them, as their 

 gardener customers are always ready to pay an extra 

 price for the very best, for it is a matter of great import- 

 ance to them, especially to market gardeners, to be sure to 

 obtain a crop to pay for the great outlay for the manure 

 and labor necessary in their cultivation. 



If any of our readers should, however, desire to grow 

 seeds for their own use, they should observe the following 

 rules: 



Never to grow for seed any two varieties of any given 

 vegetable, for the reasons already given. 



In the case of vegetables desirable for their earliness, as 

 tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, etc., always to save the 

 fruits first ripe, if they are perfect in other particulars. 



In the case of beets, carrots and other tap-rooted or 

 tuberous-rooted vegetables, always select the best formed 

 and the best colored roots, being careful to so dig them up 

 as not to destroy or injure the tips of the roots, and always 

 to leave an inch at least of the tops on the roots, for if cut 

 down close to the crown, they will be injured for seed- 

 growing purposes. The largest and best formed potatoes 

 should always be saved for cutting into sets, as the small 

 ones, which are too often saved for this purpose, are the 

 last formed in the ground, and are not as well ripened as 



