good selection can be mad^, The grower 
must rely upon the purity of the stock seed 
he has used. As it is difficult, if not im¬ 
possible to obtain any stock seed so pure, 
that there will not be more or less plants in 
a thousand that are “off shape,” or that 
never would make a solid head; and as 
these can not be culled out, the result is, 
all such poor, worthless stocks bloom and 
not only produce inferior seed, but fertilize 
the surrounding cabbages, thus damaging 
materially the whole crop. No seedsman 
would think for an instant of using seed 
grown in this manner for stock seed. For 
stock seed, all seed growers agree, that 
none but seed grown from carefully select¬ 
ed heads, that come up to the standard of 
excellence in size, shape and maturity, 
should be used. Thereby all admit that 
seeds not grown from such perfect speci¬ 
mens is inferior. If such seed is not fit for 
the seed grower, I ask is it tit for the mar¬ 
ket gardener, who often gets as much for 
his crop per acre as does the seed grower? 
The third and best way to grow r seeds is 
the one by which the stock seeds are grown. 
The cabbages are put out early enough for 
them to fully mature, and only the best 
specimens are selected for seed. These per¬ 
fect heads are carefully kept from freezing 
or rotting during winter. In the spring they 
are set out head and all. A slit is cut in 
the top of each head to let the main central 
shoot come out uninjured. This strong 
main shoot (which is lost when stump seed 
is grown) grows up and branches out like 
a small tree, bearing a good yield of heavy 
seeds which fully mature and ripen perfect¬ 
ly, large and plump. There is no rot or 
decay about the stump to weaken the vital¬ 
ity or to ripen prematurely, and as all in 
the field are selected perfect heads the seed 
will be pure and true to name. In short, 
the whole crop will be stock seed, and is as 
much superior to seed grown by any other 
method, for the use of market or family 
gardeners, as stock seed is superior to the 
general crop for the use of seedsmen. 
Readers, if I have not made a point in 
favor of the using of hard perfect, whole 
heads for growing Cabbage Seeds, please 
tell me where I am in error. The above is 
theory, but practice has convinced me that 
I am right, and I shall hereafter grow only 
by the best way. 
Strawberries Again. 
BY MRS. M. J. SMITH. 
Why is it so many farmers consider the 
culture of strawberrries difficult while 
others ignore them altogether? Certainly 
they are as easily raised as many, and I 
might say any, of the small fruits, and are 
in my opinion by far the most luscious 
and healthy of all the early varieties, beside 
having the advantage of appearing when 
we who cannot buy the tropical offerings, 
tired of our canned and preserved delica¬ 
cies, are longing for something fresh, tart 
and juicy, to tone up and sharpen our 
appetites. How delightfully cooling to 
the thirsty palate is a dish of this fragrant 
fruit. Even in mid-winter to think of it is 
enough to make one smack his lips and 
cry, oh ! 
In a wild state they grow and ripen from 
the high latitude of the North, to the low¬ 
lands of the South, and even in its uncul¬ 
tivated growth is a favorite with almost 
every one, the berry though small being 
very sweet and of excellent flavor. 
The roots of the cultivated sorts are not 
easily winter-killed unless the young plants 
have been set late, when in our severe cli¬ 
mate they are apt to freeze out of the 
ground. 
I prefer setting in the spring as soon as 
the frost is out of the earth, preparing the 
soil thoroughly. In this I use great care, 
mixing and remixin g with compost. If the 
soil is mellow and well-worked and the 
spring not too backward, the plants will 
flourish finely and not only blossom profuse¬ 
ly but will bring a good many berries the 
first season. The young plants should be 
set two feet apart or far enough to walk 
between the rows, and one foot apart in 
the rows with plenty of mulching between 
the plants, to smother the weeds and keep 
the fruit free from sand and soil in rainy 
or damp weather as well as too early decay. 
Many farmers complain of the time it 
takes to keep off the runners. To such it 
would be a good plan, every spring, to go 
through the last year’s old row with a 
sharp plow, leaving only the young plants 
to mature the new crop. It would then be 
an easy matter to thin in the rows and 
mulch as before. 
