The Fruit and the Seed. 105 



ted to seed freely, and perennials are often weakened 

 by excessive seeding.* 



158. Prevention of Seeding Prolongs the Life of 

 Plants. Many annual flowering plants, as sweet peas, 

 dianthus, etc., that soon perish when permitted to ma- 

 ture their seed, continue to bloom throughout the sum- 

 mer if the flowers are persistently picked. The yield 

 of cucumbers, peas, beans and other garden crops, of 

 which the product is gathered immature, may be con- 

 siderably increased by preventing the ripening of seed. 



159. Overbearing Should be Prevented. Certain 

 varieties of some of our cultivated fruits, as the apple, 

 plum and peach, tend to devote an undue amount of 

 their reserve food to fruit and seed production in fa- 

 vorable seasons, which if permitted, results in enfeeble- 

 ment or premature death. The wise cultivator guards 

 against this tendency by thinning the fruit before it has 

 made much growth, thus saving the tree from undue 

 exhaustion and improving the quality of the fruit al- 

 lowed to mature. 



Thinning should be done as early as the fruits can 

 be properly assorted, and the more imperfect ones 

 should always be removed. The proper amount of thin- 

 ning will depend upon many conditions, as age and 

 vigor of tree, abundance of crop, fertility of soil, water 

 supply, etc. It must be determined by judgment and 

 experience. Thinning does not increase the total crop 

 but it may enhance its value. 



160. The Maturing of Seeds Injures Fodder Crops. 

 The food value of .straw, from which the ripe grain 



* Double-flowered varieties of the annual larkspur (Delphinium), 

 that bear no seed, have become perennial. 



