2 



J. M. Thorburn & Co. 's Catalogue ok Seeds. 



SHIPMENTS by Express, " C. 0. D." — Unless otherwise instructed, we shall send all such goods 

 as go by express C. O. D. Orders from unknown customers not desiring this mode of carriage should be 

 accompanied by the cash. 



WARRANTIES.— Seeds of the best possible quality will fail through improper treatment. Thus, if 

 a small seed be sown so deeply that the young plant cannot reach the surface, the seed, however good, will 

 fail. More failures result from a want of proper knowledge of conditions necessary to germination than from 

 bad quality of seeds themselves. These conditions are, a proper temperature, sufficient moisture, and free 

 access of air ; besides these, the soil must be in proper condition, and present no physical obstacle to the 

 growth of the young plant. If heavy rains have compacted the surface of the soil, and the sun has baked 

 it to a hard crust, it will be impossible, even if all other conditions are favorable, for the seedling plants to 

 force their way through it, and many perish from this cause alone. Seeds differ greatly as to the tem- 

 perature required for germination. Beets, Cress, Peas, etc., germinate rapidly at a temperature of 

 45 0 ; but if Melons and other seeds of that family, bush or pole Beans, and other plants of sub-tropical 

 origin, are sown under the same conditions, they will be apt to decay, as for their prompt germina- 

 tion they require a heat of at least 6o°. For this reason many seeds fail yearly from too early sowing. 

 The second condition, proper moisture, is likely to be violated by an excess rather than by too little moisture. 

 The proper amount is that which a well-drained soil will naturally hold. Free access of air is all-important, 

 and this is interfered with by an excess of water in the soil. In germination complex chemical changes take 

 place in the seeds, in which the air performs an important part. A portion of the seed is consumed, car- 

 bonic acid gas being given off in changing the starch and other constituents or the seed into nutriment to 

 forward the growth of the germ or embryo plant, which depends upon the contents of the seed until it has 

 formed roots below ground and leaves above, and is able to sustain itself. Besides these conditions, affecting 

 the germination of the seed, the young plants, after they have made their way to the surface, are liable to 

 various accidents ; a sudden current of very cold air, or a continued drying wind, may check their growth, 

 or destroy the young plants altogether. In addition, there are numerous insects, both below and above 

 ground, that may attack the plants, some of these being so small that they often destroy a crop before they 

 are discovered. 



For the above reasons, we wish to state in this explicit form, that, while we exercise great care to 

 have all Seeds pure, reliable, and true to name, our Seeds are sold without any warranty, ex- 

 pressed or implied, and without any responsibility in respect to the crop. If our Seeds are 

 not accepted on these terms, they must be returned at once. 



JAMES M. THORBURN, | Y THORBURN & CO., 



F. W. BRUGGERHOF. > 



15 John Street, New York. 



In February we publish a list of Gladiolus and Spring Bulbs, and in September a catalogue of 

 Dutch Bulbous Roots. 



DIRECTIONS FOR THE CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES. 



To secure a good crop of vegetables, three things at least are necessary, viz., a suitable soil, pure seed, 

 and clean culture ; to which may be added as equally necessary, an abundant supply of good barn-yard 

 manure, supplemented, when this runs short, by artificial fertilizers. The exposure for a vegetable garden 

 should be preferably south or southeast, or nearly so. The soil should be naturally rich and friable, a sandy 

 loam being among the best. If the soil be stiff, it should be gradually mellowed by the free use of barnyard 

 manure, or, if convenient, by the addition of sand. If wet, or inclined to hold an excess of moisture, it 

 should be under-drained, preferably by tile ; but if possible, a location should be selected naturally dry 

 and free from surface water. 



A dark-colored soil, or one supplied with a goodly portion of decayed vegetable matter, will produce the 

 earliest crops. If the soil be shallow, it should be deepened gradually by plowing or spading an inch or two 

 deeper each year, and not all at once by trenching or sub-soiling, unless manure and money be both abun- 

 dant. A sandy soil may be greatly improved by adding more or less vegetable mold from the woods. To 

 produce the best and most uniform results, the vegetable garden should have at least one foot of good, rich 

 soil. The roots of large trees should not be allowed to encroach on any part of the garden, though large 

 trees, especially evergreens, sufficiently far off, afford a valuable protection on the north and west. 



Mark the garden off into squares or beds of convenient size, to facilitate the practice of a rotation of 

 crops, which is an important matter. As a rule, never let the same crop or kind of vegetable occupy the 

 same bed or spot two years in succession. Potatoes, onions and a few other things may form an exception 

 to this rule, but it is nevertheless better to keep up rotation. Every year these beds must be warmed up by 

 a liberal coat of manure, which should be thoroughly mixed with the soil. Grow everything in drills or 



