98 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



have an individualism not possessed by cuttings or layers. A 

 counterpart of the parent may be reproduced or something new is 

 liable to happen. In the one way it is known what to expect, in 

 the other it is uncertain, and therein lies the fascination of growing 

 plants from seed. A man with a thousand Carnation seedlings 

 about to bloom is on tiptoe all the time. 



Some of the variations of seedlings in color or form can by selec- 

 tion and improvement be fixed so that they can be relied upon and 

 will come true from seed. These are called strains. Among the 

 strains of flower seeds that come true to color are Cosmos, Antir- 

 rhinums, China Asters, Balsams, Canterbury Bells, Cyclamen, 

 Primulas, Gloxinias, Dianthus, Hollyhocks, Petunias, Phlox 

 Drummondi, Poppies, Salvia, Stocks, Sweet Peas, and many others. 



It is not expected, however, that forms or foliage variations can 

 be fixed in seeds. They generally revert to the type, but there are 

 cases where forms have become fixed from seed. For example, 

 Tsuga macrophylla, a form of Tsuga canadensis, holds its form in 

 seed. So do Wiers Cut-leaved Maple, Purple Beach, Golden 

 Spiraea, the purple leaved Japanese Maple, and the purple leaved 

 Barberry. A fair percentage of all these come true. The proba- 

 bility is that all these were seed variations in the first place rather 

 than sports. 



The subject of the acclimatization of plants from seed is an 

 interesting one. It is going on all the time by natural as well as 

 artificial means. What nature has taken ages to do man may do 

 in a lifetime. The Japanese Clematis was tender when first intro- 

 duced, but after a generation of seedlings it proved perfectly hardy. 

 The Irish Yew, an imported plant, is not hardy here, but its seed- 

 lings are perfectly hardy. They have been left out without any 

 protection since six inches high. 



For seeds sown in springtime underglass, having a short period 

 of germination it is customary to use seed boxes (12+ 16+ 2). 

 They are easy to handle and to take care of in the matter of water 

 and besides do not permit an over abundance of material. Good 

 light loam is best for most seeds. It should be made firm and 

 marked out for seeds big enough to see easily. It is hardly neces- 

 sary to cover the seeds, merely give the box a shake. Very fine 

 seeds such as Begonia, Gloxinia, and Streptocarpus should, be sown 



