140 Gardening 
ducing seed in our own gardens. We can properly store 
and care for seeds to maintain their natural viability, 
and we can test samples of seeds to determine if the 
little plants in them are alive. 
Questions 
Why is it important for a gardener to plant good seed? What 
advance has recently been made in selecting seed parents? De- 
scribe the structure of a seed. Name the four different parts 
that you have found in the flower of the bean. What do the 
anthers contain? Where are the ovules found? What do they 
become when they mature? What is pollination? Why is it 
necessary? How is it accomplished? What is self-pollination? 
cross-pollination? Describe what happens in fertilization. From 
what does the embryo grow? Why is it important for a seed to 
have a good pollen parent ? 
What is a hybrid? How are new varieties of plants obtained? 
Name a group of vegetables that illustrates the development of a 
number of varieties from one ancestor. Name the members of 
this group. What is meant by keeping varieties true to kind? 
How is this done in seed breeding? Describe briefly the general 
methods used by the plant breeder in cross-breeding. What can 
you say of the characteristics of the first generation of hybrids? 
of the second generation of hybrids? State briefly how corn is 
cross-bred ; tomatoes ; pumpkins. 
Why should seed be bought of a reliable firm? Why should 
only named varieties be bought? How may the gardener deter- 
mine how much seed to order? 
From what garden vegetables is seed for planting most easily 
obtained? Explain some of the things that must be done to 
insure good seed from corn or from annuals like radish or lettuce. 
How may seed be obtained from biennial crops, like parsnip and 
salsify? Under what conditions are different varieties of the same 
vegetable apt to cross? What garden crops readily cross? Would 
the pollen of corn lead to fertilization if placed on the pistil of a 
pumpkin or tomato? 
How should seeds be stored in the home? How can insects 
