The Frurt and the Seed. 99 
and perennials are often much weakened by excessive seed- 
ing * 
159. Prevention of Seeding Prolongs the Life of 
Plants. Many annual flowering plants, as sweet peas, 
dianthus, etc., that soon perish when permitted to mature 
their seed, continue to bloom throughout the summer 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 considerably increased by pre- 
venting the ripening of seed.” 
160. Overbearing Should be Prevented. Certain va- 
rieties of some of our cultivated fruits, as of the apple, 
plum and peach, tend to devote an undue amount of their 
reserve food to fruit and seed production in fruitful seasons, 
which, if permitted, results in enfeeblement or premature 
death. The wise cultivator guards against this tendency by 
thinning the fruit before it has made much growth, thus sav- 
ing the tree from undue exhaustion and greatly improving 
the quality of the fruit allowed 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 thinning will depend 
upon many conditions, as age and health of tree, abundance 
of crop, fertility of soil; water supply, etc. It must be de- 
termined by judgment and experience. 
161. The [Maturing of Seed Injures Fodder Crops. 
The food value of straw, from which the ripe grain has been 
threshed, is comparatively small, and that of grass and 
* Double-flowered varieties of the annual larkspur (Delphinium), that bear no 
seed, have become perennial. 
