38 



Principles of Plant Culture. 



Fig. 13. Showing navy bean plant.s grown from 

 large seeds {Ict'Lj and from small seeds (right). 



49. The Vigor of the Plantlet is generally in Proportion 



to the Size of the Seed. This is true not only between 

 dififerent kinds of seeds, but Ijetween different seeds of 



the same kind. 

 The larger 

 beans, the horse 

 chestnut and 

 the walnut form 

 much stronger 

 plantlets than 

 clover, timothy 

 a n d tobacco, 

 and the largest 

 and plumpest 

 speci mens of 

 any sample of 

 seed usually form stronger jDlantlets than the smaller and 

 more shrunken specimens. Gro^^ers of lettuce under 

 glass are sometimes altle to I'aise one more crop during 

 the winter by sowing only the largest seeds than when 

 the seed is sown without sifting. The practice of sifting 

 seeds before planting, and rejecting the smaller ones, 

 should be more generally followed (Fig. 13). 



50. The Earlier Germinations from a sample of seed 

 often Form More Vigorous Seedlings than the Later Ones. 

 This is one of nature' s methods for preserving the vigor 

 of plants. The stronger seedlings overtop the later and 

 feebler ones and crowd them out of existence. We 

 should profit by this hint and reject the later plants in 

 the seed-bed. 



51. How Deep should Seeds be Planted? We have seen 

 that one object of planting seeds in the soil is to place 



