68 Tlie Western Pomologist and Gardener. 1872 



cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, currants, raspberries, grapes, and tlie larger fruits to 

 his heart's content, and if to these be added the egg plant, celery, silsify, and various 

 pickled and preserved fruits, what more can be desired ? All these articles and more too 

 can be had from a small piece of ground, and coming into use at different seasons thus 

 can be had in their best condition. Gathered fresh from the garden they have a delicacy 

 of flavor that is wanting in those wilted specimens obtained from the market, and they 

 supply those juices and acids that the health of the human system demands during the 

 warm season. 



In another article I will speak of the planting and cultivating of the vegetable "garden, 

 and the propagation of small fruits. 



Growing and Preserving Seed."Hybridiziug Plants. 



By W. H. W., Habtfobd Co., Conn. 

 A very important matter to all gardeners or propagators of plants. In order to success, 

 in the first place we must have plants true to their kind, and then we must select from 

 these the truest, healthiest, and every way the best, such as are of the most perfect shape, 

 quality, etc., and also those coming to maturity the earliest of their kind. The soil and 

 situation in which the seed plants are grown should be good, best adapted to their require- 

 ments, and they should have careful culture during their growth and the maturity of their 

 seed All plants of the same family which blossom at the same time, standing in the vicin- 

 ity of each other are liable to mix. Thus different varieties of corn, cabbage and turnip, 

 cabbage and cauliflower, turnips with ruta-bagas and radishes, squash with pumpkin, 

 etc., are very apt to mix or cross when grown near together ; some will show this mixture 

 in the produce the same season, others will not be sensibly affected only in the seed, which 

 when planted and grown shows its marks in the product. Some plants produce perfect or 

 complete flowers; these fertilize themselves ; others are incomplete male or female; such 

 require 'he presence of each, the staminate to fertilize or shed its pollen on the pistil- 

 late ; in some cases both staminate and pistillate are found on the same plant, in others on 

 different plants. Success in seed growing requires a knowledge of all these principles in 

 order that we may comply with all their requirements. Bees, insects and the wind or air 

 are agents in distributing the pollen of flowers. If there is continuous wet weather 

 during the blossoming of plants much failure of fruit will result, as the wet is inimical to 

 the distribution of the pollen. No two plants of the same tribe should be allowed to 

 blossom in the same garden when the seed is to be saved from either, or the seed will 

 likely be impure. In growing seeds attempt only one sort of the same tribe the same 

 season, and grow a suflioiency of that for several years, as most kinds will keep good for 

 some years when properly cared for. Where seeds can be kept away from insects and 

 anything inimical to their vitality, the best mode of keeping is in the pod or on the stalk, 

 but usually this is quite inconvenient, and therefore the seed must be separated from its 

 envelope, carefully dried and then put away. All seed should be perfectly ripe, and that 

 grown in pods or like, be dry when gathered, and then further dried before being shelled 

 or threshed. After threshing, if there is the least sign of moisture they should be spread 

 in the sun or in a dry room till perfectly dry, when they should be put up in paper bags, 

 or boxes of paper or wood and put away where they will be subject to no moisture or 

 extremes of heat or cold, safe from insects or other vermin. Vegetable seeds thus treated 

 and preserved will keep sound and good for planting for a number of years. Where 

 seeds are produced with a fleshy envelope like the cucumber, squash, etc., they must be 

 separated from the flesh by washing, be then dried and preserved as above. The vitality 

 of seeds depends largely upon the manner in which they are kept, the different kinds also 

 vary in the time which they will retain vitality ; some only retain it for one year, while 

 others will grow when ten to thirty years ; kept closely from exposure to the open air, 

 they keep much the longest. 



Many fruit buds were killed in Central Iowa by the recent hail and snow storm. 



