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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



would have been even better, if it be possible, had the second sowing been 

 on good soil at a distance.* 



These failures, which naturally one is too apt to ignore, stood out 

 prominently in my mind among many successes, and the reason was 

 asked. I remembered, as a lad, my innate love of gardening induced me 

 to endeavour to get better results than anyone else, and with this object 

 to obtain the newest and best strains of seeds. Among other items, a 

 new variety of Radish was obtained, the best specimens grown were care- 

 fully selected, seed saved and sown. Some of this seed, sown on very 

 poor soil, produced plants which were not particularly good ; the best were 

 selected and allowed to seed, chiefly because the ground, being poor, was 

 not needed. I have always thought, with pride, that the finest Radishes 

 I ever grew were those obtained from the seed thus produced, although, 

 until lately, no reason could be given for the result. 



With these facts before me, I have endeavoured to investigate the 

 matter, and at the same time the cognate subject of the productivity of 

 plants raised from new and old seeds respectively. We are well aware 

 that many seeds retain their vitality for a number of years, but I was' 

 surprised to be told, by a very successful cultivator, that he much 

 preferred old Cabbage seed, as the plants are stronger and less liable to 

 club. How far this latter opinion is correct I cannot say, but my 

 experience with old seed of good class, which had been well matured, 

 has been very satisfactory, if soicn early and sown as thick as a previous 

 germinative test showed to be requisite. Several times have I obtained 

 these results with the Brassicas ; and have also had fair success with 

 seeds such as Beet, Parsnips, and others of which it is usually said new 

 seed is essential. The seed must, however, be thoroughly well preserved, 

 and even then a great number will lose their vitality. To give two 

 specific instances : In the autumn of 1901 I had a large quantity of 

 Mangold-wurzel seed of a good strain, which should have been sown the 

 previous season. This was stored and, in January, tested. About one 

 third germinated ; the development was, however, very slow, even at a 

 somewhat higher temperature than would have been normal for the soil 

 at the growing season. Consequently a large quantity was soaked, in 

 order to facilitate germination. It was sown three weeks earlier than the 

 ordinary season. Notwithstanding the soaking, growth was so very slow, 

 that I feared a serious mistake had been made, and some new seed was 

 obtained and sown. This new seed germinated rapidly and was quickly 

 in advance of the older. I quoted the result in several lectures to show 

 the superiority of new seed, but after a few weeks an unfavourable climate 

 had terribly retarded the growth of the plants from the new seed, while 

 those from the old went steadily — very steadily at first — but continuously 

 on, and in the end were very greatly superior to those raised from the new 

 seed. 



Parsnip seed, we say, should certainly be new, and I have known 

 Several failures arising from using old seed, sown at the ordinary time, 

 and the same quantity per given area as new. At the present moment 

 (October 1908), I have a nice lot of Parsnips, the seed from which they 



* Set note: " Experiment for Commercial Purposes," Report of Scientific Com- 

 mittee, Nov. 24. 1908. 



