Seed Sowing Suggestions 
By William N. Craig, Brookline, Mass. 
1'" the various methods of propagation in common should remember these things, place their seed orders 
early and be patient pending deliveries. 
We now produce in America an immense quantity of 
both flower and vegetable seeds, and could no doubt 
profitably raise many more, but not all that we need. 
The countries of the world will continue to be more or 
less inter-dependent on each other for seeds as for many 
other necessary commodities. Certain favorable soil 
and climatic conditions are necessary for the successful 
production of all seeds, and even w-e with our big coun- 
try and much diversified climate cannot secure all of 
these vital requirements. 
The annual v^^astage in purchased seeds is tremendous ; 
particularly is this the case with the large and increasing 
army of amateur cultivators, who derive much pleasure 
while making their seed selections during the winter 
II usage, which include layering, grafting, bud 
ding, leaf cuttings, shoot cuttings, roots and 
seeds, the last named is many times more important 
horticulturally as well as agriculturall\ than all others 
combined. There may be less skill necessary in the pro- 
duction of plants from seeds than other methods named, 
which are in many cases necessary for the keeping of 
true stocks, and in some instances seed propagation 
would be undesirable, but broadly speaking both horti- 
culture and agriculture depend overwhelmingly for their 
existence on seeds. This be it noted is Nature's plan in 
forest and field the world over, in tropical, temperate 
and arctic climes. It is far the most natural method 
whereby the majority of plants reproduce themselves, 
not always absolutely true to type, as this depends on 
insect agencies and foreign pollen which affect their 
fertilization. If, however, all plants naturally repro- 
duced themselves true from seeds the wonderful varia- 
tions we have in plants, flowers and other forms of plant 
life could not have been obtained by cross breeding, and 
artificial fertilization and improvements made would 
necessarily have been very much slower. A seed is 
liotanically a ripened ovule; it contains what is called an 
embryo or miniature plant, with leaves, a bud, and a 
descending axis : it is in brief a little dormant plant. 
What are in a broad sense termed seeds are in many 
cases fruits ; some of these contain more than one seed 
or growing points, as in the case of such plants as beets, 
mangel wurzel, seakale and lettuce. Nuts in variety, 
acorns, etc., are really fruits: so are some of the cereals, 
and seeds of raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and 
other fruits. Many winged seeds flying from such trees 
as elms, maples and lindens are fruits containing a single 
seed. The wind carries many of these long distances, 
and thus disseminates them more w^idely ; birds and ani- 
mals assist in the wider distribution of nuts, acorns and 
numerous seeds. 
It would be easily possible to speak for an entire after- 
noon on the fascinating subjects of seed distribution 
throughout the world : sources of seed supplies, and 
quantities and values of seeds produced ; but it is my 
purpose rather to discuss the somewhat more limited, 
but more practical side of seeding sowing itself. This 
may seem to many to be a very simple task, but owing 
to the fact that many seeds require quite long periods 
for germination, that many are almost infinitesimal in 
size and need very carefuly sowing, and that there are 
peculiarities in not a few varieties which demand special 
treatment for them, the field of seed sowin':;- is less nar- 
row than manv might imagine. 
The great European war has seriously impaired the 
supply of manv seeds on which America has in the past 
depended ; particularly is this the case with flower seeds, 
but vegetables are likewise affected. Blockades prevent 
more than a fractional part of our average annual im- 
portations from arriving, embargoes by certain of the 
belligerent nations prevent the exportations of certain 
varieties, and as America is as yet unprepared to pro- 
duce seeds of as pure quality and moderate cost as many 
of those received from Europe, there are likelv to be 
acute shortages in certain varieties this season, while the 
seeds will probably be less rnire in qualitv and there will 
be more errors in nomenclature. Purchasers of seeds 
*A lecture delivered before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 
months from the numerous attractive catalogues and 
who invariably start their gardening with considerable 
enthusiasm, which latter quality, alas, in too many cases 
becomes evanescent before the crops come to maturity. 
jMuch seed is annually lost by improper conditions of the 
soil at sowing time, by seeding far too thickly, and not 
infrequently sowing in drills in which chemical ferti- 
lizers have been scattered and not properly incorporated 
with the soil. Seedsmen are annually blamed for many 
"cro]) failures" which are traceable to seed sowing in 
drills too heavily fertilized, in which the chemicals have 
not been properly mixed with mother earth. 
Points of merit to be considered about good farm and 
garden seeds are : that they are able to produce vigorous 
or normal plants, that they are true to strain or name, 
and carry no impurities or adulterations. In the case 
of grass seeds adulterations are still too abundant, but 
conditions, thanks to government inspections, are steadily 
improving. Whether seeds have virility depends in great 
measure on the condition of the plants producing them, 
also on their age and the way they have been grown and 
stored. 
Certain seeds like melons, beets, carrots, rape, squash, 
turnip and cabbage have good germinating qualities for 
five or six years, in fact, 10-year-old seeds of some of 
these will grow, and I have in mind a case which came 
under my own personal notice 35 years ago, when I had 
occasion to sow seeds of a one-time favorite melon 
named Munro's Little Heath in a he it-bed; the seeds 
had been kept for over 18 years, yet they germi- 
nated well and the melons fruited satisfactorily. On the 
other hand sweet corn, millet, parsnip, wheat, onion, soy 
beans, peas and oats have lost their power of germina- 
tion in large measure in two or three years. 
Much of the success or failure in seed sowing depends 
on the proper preparation of the beds for all outdoor 
crops ; a really vigorous start is a long step towards a 
good crop. The correct preparation of the soil has for 
its main object a good seed bed, the increasing of root 
pasturage, and the amelioration of the soil chemically 
and physically. If seeds germinate freely it should be 
in close contact with a thoroughly pulverized and later 
firpily settled soil, lloth hand and horse tools are avail- 
able in plenty for pulverizing the soil. The drier it is at 
seeding time, the more necessary it is to firm well by 
rolling or some other method, in order to secure a good 
germination. 
There is an immense variety of seeds with widely vary- 
ing needs. I will speak briefly on the requirements of 
the various classes into which these are divided. There 
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