Jan,"] THE CULINARY GARDEN. 71 



dener is in possession of any new, improved, rare, or valuable 

 vegetable, it is of the utmost importance to save the seed, not 

 only for his own future supply, but for the purpose of dis- 

 tributing it amongst his friends. Many seeds become spurious, 

 in consequence of their flowers being impregnated by the 

 fertilizing pollen of other plants, nearly allied to them, and 

 none more so than the brassica family. The seed-growers in 

 many countries are so well convinced of this circumstance, 

 that a particular individual grows only one sort of seed ; whilst 

 another grows a different sort, at a distance of several miles. 

 Bees, the force of winds, and other causes, all tend to this 

 hebridizing of many families, particularly of cruciferous plants. 

 In the same garden, they cannot possibly be preserved genuine, 

 or free fi'om contamination, if more than one sort of a genus 

 be cultivated for seed. Peas and beans are less liable to this 

 objection, but the produce which they yield will not be repaid 

 by the ground, which they occupy ; and in all cases, unless 

 for particular purposes, the trifling expense of their purchase 

 from the fair dealer will be more than expended in their pro- 

 duction. Seeds sown on the same ground for a series of crops, 

 degenerate, and ultimately become unfit for use. 



For the purpose of saving seed, let some of the largest and 

 best full-grown cabbages, &c. be taken up in a mild dry day, 

 and divested of the large outer leaves. If they appear wet, 

 place them with their heads downward a day or two, in order 

 to drain off any moisture before they are planted, which will 

 prevent their rotting ; or, in default of full cabbages, use cab- 

 bage-stalks, furnished with good full heads of strong sprouts, 

 as they will answer the same purpose, both in regard to the 

 goodness of the seed and its produce. 



Let a di*y open compartment, exposed to the full sun and 

 free air, be chosen for planting them, and the readiest method 

 is to plant them in trenches, as the ground is dug : the plants 

 should be allowed to stand two or three feet distant from each 

 other. 



Dig the ground a full spade deep, and keep the trenches 

 clear and wide. When the digging is advanced two feet from 

 the end, then with the spade cut the edge of the trench even 

 on the side that is dug, and inclining rather perpendicularly 



