July, 191 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



261 



place can not be detected except when a white 

 seeded variety is grown with a yellow or 

 purple variety. In that case any crossing 

 of the yellow or purple on the white shows 

 up at once in the production of colored seeds. 



Saving Seed of the Melon Tribe 



A LL the varieties of cucumbers, of melons, 

 ■*■■*- or of squashes are widely crossed among 

 themselves; but no authentic case of crossing 

 between these types, i. e., of melons with 

 cucumbers, or either of these with squash or 

 pumpkins, is known in spite of frequent 

 statements to the contrary. Melons, cucum- 

 bers and squashes can be grown side by side 

 without the slightest danger of either the 

 fruits themselves being immediately affected 

 or the resulting plants grown from the seed 

 saved from their fruits being unidentified. 

 The different varieties of melons or of cucum- 

 bers will cross quite readily among themselves 

 and for that reason it is usually not advisable 

 to save seed from these plants. Where only 

 one variety of each is grown, however, seed 

 can be saved from healthy plants. In the 

 case of cucumber and summer squash the 

 fruits must be allowed to ripen. Even when 

 a nYimber of varieties are grown together the 

 flowers can be protected from insects and 

 pollinated by hand. 



Plants Not Adaptable for Home Seed Production 



D ADISH, lettuce and spinach offer some 

 ■*■*- difficulty since these plants are usually 

 grown as in-between crops and are in the 

 way when allowed to go to seed. Well 

 developed roots of radish can be transplanted 

 to a more convenient place. They will 

 produce seed abundantly in almost any part 

 of the country if the plant lice are kept off. 

 Both spinach and lettuce must be allowed to 

 go to seed where originally planted. The 

 plants must be well cared for in order to insure 

 plump well developed seed. Although it is 

 some little trouble to grow seed from these 

 plants they set seed abundantly /and from a 

 dozen plants enough seed can be gathered to 

 last several seasons. Practically all of the 

 spinach has formerly been imported. 



Plants Requiring Two Seasons 



A CERTAIN number of plants which are 

 ■^* grown as annual vegetables are really 

 biennial and will not give seed till the 

 second year of growth. Among such, which 

 are also cross-pollinated are: 



Beet Celery Onion 



Carrot Turnip Salsify 



Parsnip Cabbage 



To guard against the possibility of any crossing taking 

 place enclose the flower cluster (tomato) before the petals 

 show color. Pollen must be placed on the stigmas a few 

 days later. The point of a knife is the best means 



Many of these offer so many difficulties 

 in the way of growing seed that it is 

 hardly worth while for the average gar- 

 dener to attempt them. Beet, carrot, and 

 farsnip seed is not hard to grow however, 

 he roots must be carried over winter with- 

 out sprouting or wilting badly. About three 

 fourths usual sized roots are selected and 

 started to sprout before setting in the ground. 

 Planting in rows three feet apart and six to 

 eight inches in the row gives well developed 

 plants which seed abundantly. Enough 

 should be obtained from a dozen plants to 

 last as long as the seed will germinate well. 



All the plants in this last list are widely 

 crossed. Fortunately they are seldom seen in 

 flower so that one variety of each can be 

 grown at a time with little danger of being 

 crossed with other varieties in neighboring 

 gardens. Cultivated carrots will cross with 

 the wild plants so abundant in New England 

 and the latter should be kept cut down. 



Prevention of Inbreeding 



\X7"HEN growing seed of any variety of 



^ * plants which is widely cross-pollinated it 



is necessary to grow a number of plants so that 



inbreeding does not take place. The naturally 

 self-pollinated plants are of course always 

 inbred so that seed may be saved from only 

 one plant as well as from several. 



The flowering plants which are so attrac- 

 tive on account of their beauty and frag- 

 rance likewise attract bees and other winged 

 visitors; consequently most of our garden 

 flowers are widely crossed. The Sweet Pea 

 is one noticeable exception. If a mixture of 

 colors is undesirable the saving of flower 

 seeds is not to be encouraged. Otherwise 

 there is no reason why seeds can not be saved 

 from many plants which ripen their seeds 

 well. 



The Functions of a Seed 



/"\NE purpose of a seed is to transmit from 

 ^-^ one generation to the next those inherent 

 hereditary qualities which are characteristic 

 of the variety. The other function is to store 

 up a supply of quickly available food to start 

 the young plant in its new environment. 

 The failure to distinguish between these two 

 functions leads to confusion. We should 

 always select the largest, plumpest, and bright- 

 est seeds possible because such seeds have the 

 best store of food and consequently give the 

 young seedlings the best start. For this 

 reason the corn grower discards the butt and 

 tip seeds from the ear. The bean and pea 

 grower rejects the little seeds from the pods. 

 For the same reason the California grown 

 seeds are popular because the seeds are well 

 grown, plump, bright, and germinate well. 

 But the condition of a seed, as long as it will 

 germinate, is relatively of less importance as 

 compared to its hereditary qualities and 

 possibilities. 



Poor seeds from a good plant are better 

 than the best seeds from a poor plant al- 

 though the latter may look superior. Be- 

 cause the seedsman cannot give to individual 

 plants the careful selection that the gardener 

 can give the latter can often produce better 

 seed from certain plants than the seedsman 

 can supply, although the gardener is handi- 

 capped because he can not always grow his 

 plants in those regions which are best adapted 

 to the growing of each particular seed crop. 



In the garden-farming districts about the 

 larger cities many growers regularly produce 

 their own seed. The market gardeners 

 around Boston largely raise their own seed 

 of celery (their most important crop), lettuce, 

 beets, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Partic- 

 ularly is this true of crops grown under glass. 



At the left are two varieties of peas grown from seeJ saved from the garden the 

 previous year. At the right are the same two varieties from purchased seed. Planted at 

 the same time and treated exactly alike 



Tomatoes are rarely cross-pollinated. In some cases, as shown here, the crossed seed- 

 lings can be easily detected. (See upper right hand corner of the picture.) This is so 

 when dwarfs are crossed with standard plants 



