SEED. 



rivers, torrents, and all forts of running waters and tides to 

 a great number of leagues diftance from their native foils 

 and expofures, where, after being left in fuch different grounds 

 and climates, they, however, not unfrequeiitly eftablifh and 

 render themfelves familiar and agreeable in fuch new fitua- 

 tions. Thefe circumftances are neceflary to be Icnown to 

 the gardener, in order that he may guard againll the intro- 

 duftion of weeds, &c. more perfeftly- 



The duration or lading of feeds, in fo far as refpedls their 

 powers or properties of vegetating or producing new plants, 

 is very confiderable indeed ; as for inftance, thofe of the cu- 

 cumber, melon, and gourd, not feldom retain their powers 

 of vegetation for eight, ten, or twelve years ; and it has been 

 confidently afferted that thofe of the mimofa, or fenfitive 

 plant, will retain or preferve the principle of life or growth 

 for thirty or forty years or more ; while, on the other hand, 

 a far greater number of feeds will not keep good, or in a 

 germinating ftate, for more than one or two years ; and many, 

 or indeed the greatelt part of thefe, will not vegetate pro- 

 perly, if more than one year old, nor fome even when kept 

 this (hort length of time. There are fome indeed wiiich re- 

 quire to be fown or put into the ground foon after they be- 

 come ripe, or they will not grow until the fucceeding year ; 

 others, unlefs they are fown immediately after they have 

 been gathered, will not grow at all, as is not unfrequently 

 the cafe with the berries of the cofFee-plant. It has, how- 

 ever, been remarked, that almoft all forts of feeds which have 

 been fown the firft year after being collefted or gathered, in 

 general rife much fooner, and a great deal itronger, than fuch 

 as have been kept for a greater length of time ; for which 

 reafon it is principally advifed to have recourfe to new feeds, 

 or fuch as are not more than one year old, wherever it can 

 poflibly be done ; except in the particular cafes of cucum- 

 bers and melons, in which feeds of two or three years old, or 

 more, are often more to be preferred, as the plants of this 

 kind, when raifed from new feeds, are liable to run or grow 

 much too vigoroufly to Hems or ilalks, without becoming 

 either tolerably cxpeditioully fruitful, or producing fruit in 

 any fufFicient quantity. 



In regard to the keeping of garden feeds, all fuch as are 

 produced in dry caplules, or other dry feed-veliels, are found 

 to keep much better and longer in fuch veflels than. if taken 

 out of them ; but it is probable that mod kinds of feeds will 

 keep and retain their germinative property the longeii and 

 moll perfeftly in the bowels of the earth, when they may have 

 been accidentally depofited and buried to a confiderable 

 depth, and out of the reach of the influence of the fun and 

 the .^ir or atmofphere. For it has been noticed rcfpefting 

 the feeds of corn fallad in particular, which have been buried 

 by accident to the depth of three feet or more in the ground 

 for thirty years or more, that on the foil being turned up 

 that depth to the top, they have began to vegetate and Iiave 

 grown freely. The fame thing has likewife been remarked 

 of many other iiinds of feeds, wliicli have by chance been 

 depofited in the earth to the depth of feveral feet ; and in the 

 bottoms of wells, vaults, ponds, ditches, and many other 

 fimilar fituations, and which have not been ilirred for many 

 years, as is evident frora the circumftances of the cafes; as 

 when occafion has required the foil or earth to be thrown to 

 the top of the furface, and to be expofed to the fun and air, 

 many feeds have vegetated and plants rifen, which had not 

 been remembered to have been feen in luch places any time 

 before, or at leail for a very great length of time. Mod 

 forts of garden feeds (liould therefore be kept condantly in 

 tlie capfules, hulks, and other parts in which they are m- 

 clofed. 



It may alfo be remarked, that mod forts of feeds, if fown 



too deep, remain inaiftive, and fome never exert their vege- 

 tative properties at all, while others, notwithftanding, pre- 

 ferve their power of vegetation and growth ; and whenever 

 the ground or foil is again frefh dirred, or newly turned up, 

 fuch of them as happen to approach towards the upper part, 

 will frequently (hew themfelves, and come up, which fully 

 demondrates the power and effeft which the fun and free air 

 have, in promoting and bringing forward the vegetation of 

 feeds as well as plants. On this account, therefore, it it 

 advifed that feeds of this fort (hould never be fown too deep 

 in the ground, but condantly, in lome meafure, in propor- 

 tion to their fize, or the quantity of matter which they con- 

 tain, as from about a quarter or half an inch deep, in the 

 fmaller forts, to about one, two, and fometimes three inche* 

 in the middling and large kinds. See Sowing of Seeds. 



In relation to the vegetation, germination, or growth of 

 feeda, after they have been regularly fown or depofited in 

 the earth or foil to a proper depth, it is very quick in fome 

 forts, while in others it is flow, as for indance, the feeds of 

 crcdes, milliard, turnips, and many other lorts, vegetate and 

 come up in a few days, fome other forts in one, two, or three 

 weeks ; as in mod of the efculent kinds of the kitchen 

 garden, and a great many others of the herbaceous clafs ; 

 but the feeds of parfley and fome other kinds of plants often 

 remain in an iiiadlive itate for a month or fix weeks, and there 

 are ilill fome other forts which lie one or two years or more 

 in the ground before they germinate and rife in plants. 

 With refpedl to the feeds of flirubs and trees, there are fome 

 which will rife in the courfe of a month or fix weeks, or 

 even in a much (horter time, while others require two or 

 three months to vegetate and grow, and there are fome kinds 

 which lie a whole year or more, before they begin to vege- 

 tate and grow, as in the cafe of the hawthorn, the holly, 

 and mod others of the very hard long-feeded kinds. 



On the whole, thefe feeds are the deciduous parts of the 

 vegetables to which they belong, each of which includes the 

 rudiment of a new plant, and is endowed with a vital or 

 living principle by means of the fprinkling of the pollen or 

 male dud, which they are capable of retaining for a very con- 

 fiderable length of time when properly kept and prelerved. 



It is of great importance in the praftice of gardening, to 

 be careful in coUefting feeds from the bell lorts and varietie* 

 of the different kinds of plants, to preferve them in a proper 

 manner, and to put them into the ground with due attention 

 to their nature and qualities. Much advantage may like- 

 wife be gained in fome cafes, by deeping them in a fuitable 

 manner, and by producing a change in them, trom the mix- 

 ing or combining of different varieties of the fame plants, in 

 railing thole from which they are taken. Peale have been 

 very greatly improved in this way. 



With proper precautions, and with a zeal in any degree 

 refembhng that of the late Dr. Solander, of Mr. Blake, 

 who had formed a plan of procuring tlie feeds ol all the 

 vegetables produced in China, which are ufed in medicine, 

 manufadluies, or food, or are in any way fervlceable to man- 

 kind, and to forward to Europe not only fuch feeds, but 

 the plants producing them (fee Kippis's edit, of Biog. 

 Brit. art. Blahe], and of fir Jofiph Banks; we might ob- 

 tain a great variety of curious and ufetnl plants now unculti- 

 vated in this country. 



The feed of fruit-trees, it is f^id, fhonld not be cliofen 

 from thofe that are the mod fruitful, fo much as trom the 

 mod folid and fair ; nor arc we to covet the largcd .icorns, 

 but the mod weighty, clean, and bright. Porous, infipid, 

 mild forts of feeds, are to be fown as foon as ripe ; hot, 

 bitter feeds, ought to be kept a year before they are iown. 

 See Seminauy. 



The 



