THE SELECTION OF SEED 93 



night. Even better results may be expected if the roots can 

 be kept at a temperature of about 75° and the tops be 

 exposed to a much cooler atmosphere. 



In about three weeks the leaves and blossoms will be 

 shooting up, and the plants may be kept in a well-lighted 

 room to complete their development. They may readily be 

 transplanted into flower-jars or window-boxes and will prove 

 of great interest to all who grow them. Every one should re- 

 member that the leaves, stems, and flowers of the lily-of-the- 

 valley contain an active poison, so that they should never be 

 put into the mouth. 



THE SELECTION OF SEED 



The importance of the careful selection of the seed from 

 which crops are grown is becoming better understood every 

 year. This is true of all plants which man cultivates by 

 sowing seeds. Careful selection of seed has recently almost 

 revolutionized the agriculture of the Central and Western 

 States, where the corn crops have been enormously increased 

 in this way, while special varieties have been produced whose 

 kernels are rich in the oil, the starch, or the other constituents 

 needed for special uses. It has caused great improvements in 

 vegetables, both those grown out-doors and under glass, and 

 it is responsible for a large part of the improvement in the 

 habits of the ornamental flowering plants, and in the size, 

 form, and color of their blossoms. 



The improvement of plants is largely a matter of intelligent 

 selection on the part of the gardener. When the plant is 

 given a large food supply it is likely to exhibit variations, the 

 selection of which leads to new varieties. When a plant is 

 brought into new conditions of life, as when seed from one 



