198 



PLAIN AND PLEASANT TALK 



TIME THAT SEEDS WILL KEEP. 



TBARS. 



Asparagus 4 or 13 



Balm 2 



Basil 1 or 3 



Beans lor2 



Beets 8 or 10 



Borage 2 



Cabbage 6 or 8 



Carrot lor? 



Celery 6 or 8 



Corn 2 or 3 



Cress 2 



Cucumber 8 or 10 



Caraway 4 



Fennel 5 



Garlic 3 



Leek 3 or 4 



Lettuce 3 or 4 



Mangel Wurtzel 8 or 10 



TKARSL 



Marjoram 4 



Melon 8 or 10 



Mustard 3 or 4 



Nasturtium 2 or 3 



Onion 3 



Parsley 5 or 6 



Parsnip 1 



Pea 2 or 3 



Pumpkin 8 or 10 



Pepper 5 or 6 



Radish 6 or 8 



Rue 3 



Ruta Baga 4 



Salsify 2 



Savory 3 or 4 



Spinage 3 or 4 



Squash 8 or 10 



Turnip 3 or 4 



Some seeds retain their power of germination to an 

 astonishing length of time, as will appear from facts stated 

 by Prof. Lindley : 



" Not to speak of the doubtful instances of seeds taken 

 from the Pyramids having germinated, melons have been 

 known to grow at the age of 40 years, kidney beans at 100, 

 sensitive-plant at 60, rye at 40 ; and there are now grow- 

 ing, in the garden of the Horticultural Society, raspberry 

 plants raised from seeds 1600 or IVOO years old." (See 

 " Introduction to Botany," ed. 3, p. 358.) 



But in selecting seeds, fresh ones should be had if pos- 

 sible. Where, however, the vegetable is cultivated for the 

 sake of its flower, or its fruit, it is sometimes better to select 

 old seed. Thus balsamines (the touch-me-not) and the 

 cucumber, squash and melon tribe do better on seeds three 

 or four years old ; for fresh seeds produce plants whose 

 growth will be too luxuriant for producing fruit ; whereas 

 from old seed, the plants have less vigor of growth but a 

 greater tendency to fruit weU. 



