CHAP. III. SEEDS. 55 



vegetable-seeds saved in his own garden was so inferior that 

 he never thought it worth while to sow them, but sent annually 

 for a fresh consignment to England. 



PACKING OF IMPORTED SEEDS. 



" As all seeds," says Dr. Jameson, " in this country rapidly 

 degenerate, it is absolutely necessary that a continual supply be 

 received jrom Europe or America, to enable us to distribute 

 good seeds." * It will be seen elsewhere that I am far from 

 concurring in the statement that all European seeds degenerate, 

 or that some which do with due precaution need do so. But 

 there are many notwithstanding which, to save trouble, and on 

 the score of economy, it is no doubt far better to import ; not to 

 mention that there are some plants likewise which, in Bengal at 

 least, never yield seed at all. 



For many years past the means of conveying most securely 

 seeds to this country have engaged the attention of Indian 

 horticulturists. It may therefore be presumed that the best 

 plan for the purpose has by this time l#en pretty clearly ascer- 

 tained ; and I think it may now be stated for certain that 

 where large quantities of seed are to be conveyed, no plan can 

 be better than to send them packed in tin cases, hermetically 

 soldered down. This is the plan that has been uniformly 

 adopted by the Agri-Horticultural Society with perfect success 

 in the immense consignments they receive annually from Eng- 

 land and America. It is the plan, too, that I myself have 

 found invariably successful in the numerous importations that I 

 have from time to time made to this country. 



Formerly, when much of the seed sent to India proved 

 worthless, a strong prejudice, for some reason or other, existed 

 against this mode of conveyance. Mr. M. Hall, for instance, 

 writing from Goruckpore, says: "Having for the three last 

 years obtained various flower and other seeds from England per 

 overland mail, I may say, that, if put up in tin boxes soldered 

 down, the chances are that not one will reach this country 

 alive. There is no reasonable hope for their doing so. In no 

 case have I succeeded in obtaining a single plant from those 

 packed in tin." t But it has now been made quite plain, I 



* * Eeport upon the Saharuopore Botanical Gardens.' 

 t ' Journal of the Agri-Hort. Society,' vol. iii. p. 69. 



