SEEDS 



date of gathering. Seeds kept over winter should 

 be placed in their envelopes in small wooden 

 cases rather than in metal boxes. They must be 

 kept perfectly dry, and moisture is apt to congeal 

 at times on tin boxes, and thus possibly injure 

 the seeds. The box should have several wrap- 

 pings of paper about it, to protect the seeds from 

 extreme heat or cold, and the whole should then 

 be stored away for the winter in a dry, cool place. 

 Much heat will dry out the seeds with compara- 

 tive rapidity and lessen materially the period 

 during which they will retain the power of ger- 

 minating. On the other hand intense cold will 

 freeze the life out of the seeds of tender annuals, 

 and many varieties, subjected to a temperature 

 of zero, are thereby rendered absolutely worth- 

 less. 



I have thus urged you to gather your own 

 seeds, not because seeds cannot be bought, but 

 because the seeds you gather and care for are far 

 better than any you can buy. It is reasonable to 

 presume, and my personal experience confirms it, 

 that seeds raised in a particular region naturally 

 do better there than those coming from a distance. 

 Thus I found that poppy seeds which were ap- 

 parently perfectly good if sown in the spring, 

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