PART VI. 



FARM SEEDS. 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

 FARM 'SEEDS': GENERAL. 



I. The term 'seed' is used ordinarily for anything which is sown 

 with the object of obtaining a crop, and, in this sense we use it 

 here, bearing in mind that many of the parts of plants used for 

 this purpose, are not seeds in the true botanical sense of the 

 word as explained elsewhere. 



Few things required by the farmer are of greater importance 

 than good seed, and yet it is not uncommon to find little atten- 

 tion paid to its selection and purchase. Bad seed leads to dis- 

 appointment in many ways besides the deficient crop which often 

 results from its use : it is frequently the indirect cause of trouble 

 in introducing weeds, which overrun the crop and leave the 

 ground in a foul condition; parasitic plants are also often 

 present, and these are accountable for many of the diseases of 

 farm crops. The expense of preparation of the land is the same, 

 whether good or bad seed is used, and the cultivation and 

 management of the crop, whether large or small, is nearly the 

 same; it is, therefore, important that the best seed obtainable 

 should be sown, as the difference in primary cost between this 

 and seed which is doubtful, is small compared with the differ- 

 ence in the final results obtained from using them. The differ- 

 ence between the very best seed and inferior samples often 

 amounts to little more than a shilling or two per acre, but 



the use of the latter may often make a difference of pounds 

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