III.] 



THE AMERICAN GARDENER. 



67 



purchase, take all the precautions recommended as 

 to sort of seed. It will be seen presently, that, to 

 save true seed yourself, is by no means an easy mat- 

 ter. And, therefore, you must sometimes purchase. 

 Find a seedsman that does not deceive you, and 

 stick to him. But, observe, that no seedsman can 

 always be sure. He cannot raise all his seeds him- 

 self. He must trust to others. Of course, he may 

 himself, be deceived. Some kinds of seed will keep 

 a good many years ; and, therefore, when you find 

 that you have got some very true seed of any sort, 

 get some more of it : get as much as will last you 

 for the number of years that such seed will keep ; 

 and, to know how many years the seeds of vegeta- 

 bles and herbs will keep, see paragraph 150. 



SOUNDNESS OF SEED. 



131. Seed may be of the rigbt sort ; it may be 

 true to its sort ; and, yet, if it be unsound, it will 

 not grow, and, of course, is a great deal worse than 

 useless, because the sowing of it occasions loss of 

 time, lo^s of cost of seed, loss of use of land, and 

 loss of labour, to say nothing about the disappoint- 

 ment and mortification. Here, again, if you pur- 

 chase, you must rely on the seedsman ; and, there- 

 fore, all the aforementioned precautions are neces- 

 sary as to this point also. In this case (especially 

 if the sowing be extensive) the injury may be very 

 great ; and, there is no redress. If a man sell you 

 one sort of seed for another ; or, if he sell you un- 

 true seed ; the law will give you redress to the full 

 extent of the injury proved ; and the proof can be 

 produced. But, if the seed does not come up, what 

 proo/ have you? You may prove the sowing ; but, 

 who is to prove that the seed was not chilled, or 

 scorched, in the ground ? That it was not eaten by 



