298 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
brilliancy of color is the sole merit of a plant, 
but can admire a graceful habit as well. Two 
other plants commonly called Solomon's Seal 
Fig. 2. — root-stock of Solomon's seal. 
belong to the genus Smilacina. Though resem- 
bling those we have noticed in their foliage 
and general appearance, they bear their flow- 
ers in a cluster at the top of the stem. 
» i ^-om i m 
Selecting Seed Stock. 
BY AN OLD SEED GROWER. 
Select a few Beets, Carrots, Cabbages, Celery 
roots, Onions, Winter Radishes and Turnips, 
before the crops are gathered in the fall, and 
keep and grow them separate from the main 
crops for your own sowing. Do the same with 
all annuals, selecting Cucumbers, Melons, 
Squashes, Tomatoes, etc., before the crops are 
harvested, in sufficient quantity for your own 
planting the next year or in other years, if the 
variety is particularly pure and very choice. 
This is the only way to keep up and improve 
the stock. By planting every year the seeds 
of the previous main crop, the seeds will 
degenerate and finally become worthless. 
Whatever the desired quality may be it should 
be approached as nearly as possible in the se- 
lection. If it is earliness, choose the first perfect- 
ly matured root, fruit, plant or seed, that is a 
pure sample of the variety. If flavor, tender- 
ness, or productiveness is the quality re- 
quired, mark the plants made choice of for 
preservation, and save the seeds by themselves. 
In the Blood Beet look for deep color, free 
growth, smooth, handsome form, small top, 
without neck, and sweet, tender flesh. Light 
red beets are earlier, and grow larger than the 
dark blood red. 
Iu the Carrot, select those having a small top, 
smooth root, and deep orange color. 
With the Cabbage, choose those with short 
stump, large, compact head, with l»ut few loose 
leaves. 
In the Cucumber, straight, handsome form, and 
dark green color are desirable. With Lettuce, 
select large, close, tender heads, free from bit- 
terness, and the slowest to run to seed. 
In Sweet Corn, choose uniform, straight 
rowed ears, very sweet, shrivelled kernels, well 
ripened and filled over the end of the cob. 
The Citron or Muskmelon should have a 
rough, netted skin, thick, firm flesh, and high 
flavor. I never saw a really good melon with 
a smooth skin. 
In the Watermelon, select those with a thin 
rind, bright red solid core, very sweet flesh, and 
handsome shape. 
With the Onion, thick, round shape, small 
neck, either deep red or bright coppery yellow, 
like tho Dauvers, or pure white. Free growth, 
early maturity, mild flavor, and good keeping 
quality, are to be sought. 
In the Parsnip, there should be a small top 
growing out of the center of the crown, large, 
smooth root, sweet and mild flavor. 
Iu the Pea, low growth, full pods, and large 
tender peas, rich flavor, and great productive- 
ness, are to be sought. Wrinkled peas are best. 
The Scarlet Radish should have deep color, 
small top, free growth, and clear brittle root. 
In Squashes select those of medium size, and 
dry, fine grained, deep colored flesh. 
In Peppers, select the thickest fleshed, smooth- 
est, and handsomest shaped, and earliest ripened. 
With Tomatoes save the earliest ripened, if 
smooth and handsomely shaped, and perfectly 
solid. Select from plants, if possible, upon 
which there is not one ill-shaped fruit. Cut 
every tomato crosswise, and see that it is solid 
before saving it for stock seed. 
In the Turnip, handsome form, small top and 
tap root, free growth, and sweet, crisp flesh. 
Medium sized roots should be selected iu 
preference to the largest, as is often done in pri- 
vate gardens, unless it is desired to increase or 
lessen the size, when the largest or smallest 
should be chosen. In all selections aim at im- 
provement in the purity, quality, and produc- 
tiveness of the variety, although it will in many 
kinds materially lessen the crop of seeds. Mon- 
grels generally yield a great deal more seed than 
pure varieties, and this, besides the labor of se- 
lecting, isolating, and "rogueiug" (as the cull- 
ing out mongrels from the growing crops is 
called), is the reason why the raiser of pure 
seeds cannot afford to compete iu prices with 
careless and unscrupulous growers. 
— . — m — •-« 
How to Set a Hedge. 
Mr. W. H. Earl, Lawrence, Kansas, noticing 
what has been said by others on the manner 
of setting hedges, sends us his plan as follows : 
As there will iu the next few years be mauy 
hundreds of miles of hedge put out fr^^-j 
in Kansas, I am interested in having 
it successful. I will illustrate what I 
consider the proper manner of setting 
with a spade. I have a spade made 
for the purpose, shaped as in fig. 1. 
The blade is made of steel, three 
inches wide, and a foot or more in 
length, perhaps half an inch thick in 
the middle, and bevelled to an edge 
all around. The upright is of three- 
fourths-inch iron, with an arm out at 
the side for tlie foot; the iron is split 
at the top, and a wooden handle rivet- 
ed in, but the work can be as well 
done with a common spade, except 
that it will require extra labor. £• • 
Figure 2 will illustrate my idea. Let the spade 
be inserted at about the angle shown at A, then 
be drawn back to B, next pushed forward to C, 
and withdrawn, and the plant inserted, which 
should be done before the spade is fairly out of 
the ground, to prevent the dirt filling up the 
hole. Then comes the "setting" part, which 
is done by inserting the 
spade again at D (which, 
if the ground is in 
proper order can be 
done without the use of 
the foot), commencing 
about three inches from 
the shoulder of the plant, 
and striking as near as 
possible the end of the 
root; draw it back to C, 
and withdraw the spade, 
at the same time giving 
it a slight twist, which will fill the hole with 
earth sufficiently. By setting out plants in 
this manner, the dirt can be pressed to the plant 
the full length of it, instead of just at the shoul- 
der, as is the case where the foot is used, as the 
plants are often set more than a foot in depth. 
« i ■!» *_.. 
Notes from " The Pines."— No. 3. 
Fig. 2. 
"H. W. B.," — of course no one can guess who 
that means — once said to me that he believed 
in total depravity if "judiciously applied." If 
I was not at the time, I am now a convert to 
the Brooklyn parson's view. Total depravity 
exists among poultry. There was a poultry- 
house here, which, like everything else in the 
way of out-buildings, was close to the road, 
and so ingeniously contrived that the poultry 
could find access, but no other bipeds could get 
in. Another house was arranged with most 
convenient roosts and retired nests, and the 
fowls placed there for two days with plenty of 
food, so that they might hold a house-warming. 
The third day they were let out, and that night, 
instead of going to their nicely prepared quar- 
ters, the old house being in the mean time de- 
molished, they were all found roosting on the 
wagons under the shed. They were caught and 
put into the house, and then, instead of tak- 
ing to the roosts prepared for them, they went 
and perched upon a beam close under the roof. 
But I don't ascribe depravity solely to bipeds 
with feathers; it is very prevalent among hired 
men. Ours was a^ked if he could plant cucum- 
ber and melon seeds. From his reply one was 
warranted in believing if there was any one 
thing this man could do it was to plant those 
very seeds. The hills were made and the seeds 
put in very early, the proper time elapsed and 
no plants came ; the weather had been rather 
cold and rainy, and he was told to replant. The 
replanted seeds did not come. At last it came 
time to put in the main crops of these things, 
and the Doctor happened along with the seeds 
just as the man had his ground read}-. Several 
holes were punched iu each hill with a hoe 
handle, each about four inches deep, into which 
he intended to drop the seeds. The reason of- 
former "bad luck" was plain, and we took 
back some unexpressed opinions about seeds- 
men. A friend and a not distant neighbor, who 
is a well-known horticulturist, when he goes to 
the City, tells his men that they can sit under 
the shed until he returns, as he is sure the}' will 
do some mischief if they work while he is ab- 
sent. If our man had sat under the shed dur- 
ing our absence, the prospect for early cu- 
cumbers and melons would have been better. 
If any one doubts the necessity for mulching 
strawberries he should see our bed. Spring 
work was so pressing that we were unable to 
mulch the whole bed. The berries from the 
mulched portion sold for 35c. a quart right at 
home, while those from the vines that were left 
unmulched were so poor and sandy that we 
would not offer them. Let us have mulch. 
Now about Strawberries.— What have we to 
supersede the Wilson ? The nearest approach 
to it in growth of plant and quantity of fruit 
that we have yet seen, is Downer's " Charles 
Downing." Mr. Downer is a veteran fruit 
grower, and has loo much regard for his reputa- 
tion to send out a variety that he does not con- 
sider valuable. His Downer's Prolific is one of 
the most profitable berries, after the Wilson, yet 
sent out. It is early, most prolific, and very 
sour. His Charles Downing is a great improve- 
ment ou his Prolific. It makes an equally vig- 
orous growth, but it at the same time gives us 
an excellent fruit, — we may say superior fruit. 
