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J. M. Thorburn & Co., 15 John St., New York. 



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 quality will often fail through improper treatment. 

 Thus, if a small seed be sown so deeply that the young plant cannot reach the surface, the seed, how- 

 ever 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 pre- 

 sent 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 temperature required for germination. Beets, Cress, Peas, etc., 

 germinate rapidly at a temperature of 45° ; 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 germination they require a heat of at least 60°. 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 natu- 

 rally 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 im- 

 portant part. A portion of the seed is consumed, carbonic acid gas being given off in changing the starch 

 and other constituents of 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 continuous 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. We 

 may also mention the well-known tendency of many vegetables to revert to their original types, notwith- 

 standing the care of the seed-grower; the yellow-podded wax Beans becoming green, the yellow and 

 white Celery becoming more or less green, dwarf Peas becoming running sorts, etc., etc. 



Messrs. J. M. Thorburn & Co. give no warranty, express or implied, as to description, 

 quality, productiveness, or any other matter of any seeds, bulbs or plants they send out, 

 and they will not be in any way responsible for the crop. If the purchaser does not 

 accept the goods on these terms, they are at once to be returned. 



J. M. THORBURN & CO. 



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 

 barnyard -manure, supplemented, when this runs short, by artificial fertilizers. The exposure for a veg- 

 etable garden should be perfectly 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 pro- 

 duce 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 both be abundant. A sandy soil may be greatly improved by adding more or less vegetable mould 

 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 



