CHAPTER X 
SEEDS AND SEED GROWING 
139. Importance of planting good seed. — Complete suc- 
cess in vegetable gardening is not possible without good 
seed. The planting of good seed is one of the essentials, 
and is just as important as proper soil texture, high fer- 
tility, frequent tillage, skillful watering or thorough 
spraying. Henderson states (“Gardening for Profit,” p. 
89) : “If there is one thing of paramount importance in 
vegetable gardening it is purity of seed.” He spoke from 
the experience of a long and active life as a practical 
commercial grower. Expert gardeners have always exer- 
cised great care in procuring good seed, although the sig- 
nificance of the subject has not been fully appreciated 
until recently. Good seed must meet five requirements: 
(1) It must be true to name and not mixed. The Match- 
less tomato may be as valuable for certain conditions as 
the Stone, but no dealer is justified in making the sub- 
stitution without the consent of the purchaser Turnip 
seed resembles cauliflower seed, but the dealer who mixes 
the two is a rogue. (2) The seed must produce the best 
type of the variety in question. Varietal deviations are 
marked ; strains of the same variety differ widely in 
size, color, form, texture and quality of their products. 
The strain is by far the most important factor for consid- 
eration in obtaining seeds, although it has received com- 
paratively little attention. (3) The seeds must be . 'able. 
That is, a high, percentage should be able tc grow under 
favorable conditions. (4') They must be free from weed 
seeds. This is seldom a source of trouble with garden 
seeds. (5) They must be free from impurities, as grit, 
sticks or other foreign materials. 
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