98 
February 8, 1913. 
THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 
establisbinout. It is not sufficient to know 
that one’s seetls are clean, nor even that 
they will grow. It must be determined 
that the sUnk is true to name, and fully 
up to standard of type, strain, or variety. 
Hence the importance of the trials con- 
duct«sl by exjH*rts qualified to decide what 
is, and what is not, true and genuine. Every 
gardener is well aware that among plants 
like <loes not alw’ays prmlueo like. Hc*version 
ttj type, fertilisation by ins€K*ts. and other 
foro»^ are eon.stantly at work to undo 
what, from Nature’s point of view, is the 
artificial or spurious <levelopinent in our 
improviKl types arul strains. We breed 
an onion, a |>ea, or a cabbage which, from 
the cook’s or the exhibitor’s standpoint, is 
far in advance of older favourites, but left 
to itself and simply .seoiled and sown year 
after year, it will not long retain its dis¬ 
tinctive merits. Even an unfavourable 
season will work havoc among our chokest 
flowers aiul vegetabU\s if extreme care is not 
exerci.senl, because trying w’eather punishes 
the highly-rlevelopcMl specimens more than 
the rest even of the same batch, becau.se 
the smaller ones more nearly resemble the 
original tyt)es. 'Phe cons(*quence is there 
is a danger of saving sewl Horn just those 
.specimens that will readily throw back, or 
revert to the inferior type from which the 
variety w’as bred. Hence it is that every 
6ee<l grow'er must constantly prove his 
stocks, wcH^d out every indivklnal that 
shows the slightest sign of deterioration, 
an<l retain for seed only the very best. 
Some faint idea of the lalmiir entailed by 
these trials will be gained by a glance 
at the accompanying illustration, which 
depicts the trial of asters at Messrs. 
K. Webb and Sons’ trial grounds at 
Kinver. When it is borne in mind that 
every subject of which st'ed is offered is 
subjected to trial in similar manner to 
that here shown, and that in the case of 
the large firms the trial grounds alone cover 
manv acres of ground, one may reali.se that 
genuine seed is worth its price. 
Passing reference has alreadv l>een 
made to 
Seed Production under Glass, 
and in this department material might 
bo found for a lengthy article. In 
the case of many subjects, such as 
primidas, begonias,* and others of our 
favourite greenhouse flowers, each flower 
is carefully pollinate<l by hand, for 
only thus can a satisfactory crop be 
ensured. The illustration of one of Messrs. 
Sutton and Sons’ houses of primulas por¬ 
trays men engaged in this delicate opera¬ 
tion, which occupies them day by day 
throughout the whole flowering period. 
It is to this hand pollination, combined 
with constant r€*-selection, that is due the 
possibility of obtaining true seed of special 
colours in primulas, gloxinias, cyclamen, 
etc. The work of the hybridist, too, 
is worthy of remark. Crossing and inter¬ 
crossing of s|)ecies and varieties of 
all classes of plants is carried on un¬ 
ceasingly with a view' to the production of 
new and improved sorts, that add increased 
charm to the pursuit of gardening. The 
novelties we see and admire represent, in 
most cases, the careful and scientific labour 
of years, but only those wdio have them¬ 
selves been plant breeders know' how small 
is the proportion of that labour that can 
be shown to the world. Many crosses must 
be made, and many seedlings raised, but 
few shall be the gems among them. 
The Actual Seed Farming: 
or production of seeds in bulk is, of 
course, entirely distinct from the trials 
to which reference has been made. 
The conditions most desirable for seed 
growing are a fairly light, well-drained 
soil, and a dry atmosphere. The 
county of Essex has attracted many 
growers, both soil and climate being parti¬ 
cularly well adapted for the purpose. Any¬ 
one travelling on the main line of the Great 
Eastern Railway between London and Ips¬ 
wich, or, better still, by’ motor along the 
roads in Essex and Suffolk, during the sum¬ 
mer months will see great fields aglow' with 
a great variety of annuals, and also vege¬ 
table crops for seed. Of late years sweet 
peas have been largely grown for seed in 
Essex, and this county has also for many 
years produced a large proportion of the 
seeds of scarlet runner and kidney beans. 
In Suffolk and Norfolk also much swede 
and mangold seed is growm, as well as oats 
and barley. Lincolnshire and Cambridge, 
as is well known, are great potato-produc¬ 
ing counties, although Scotch and Irish- 
grown seed potatoes are held in highest 
esteem. Perthvshire and the Lothians are 
centres of the potato industry, the 
growers from these districts annually com¬ 
ing down in strong force to Smithfield 
Show, where buyers of seed potatoes are 
wont to foregather to inspect the samples 
and place their season's orders. The moist 
climate of Ireland militates against the 
ripening of many seeds, and, consequently 
potatoes constitute her chief output 
in this direction, although a quantity of 
linseed is produced in connection with the 
cultivation of flax for the linen industry. 
For many years Oxfordshire W'as famous 
for onion seed, but, apart from a few 
private gardens and farms where seed is 
still grown on contract, the growth of onion 
seed seems to have drifted away, partly 
to Leicestershire, and joartly to the South 
of England. The excellent illustration of 
a field of onions growing for seed, kindly 
supplied by Messrs. Harrison and Sons, 
Leicester, .show's a remarkably fine crop, 
and it may be remarked that many an 
equally productive field of garden peas for 
se^ has been seen in this county. There 
are well-knowui seed farms around AVords- 
ley, Worcestershire, and even as far north i 
as Carlisle and Darlington, whilst sweet 
peas have for many years been exten¬ 
sively grown for seed at AVem, in 
Shropshire, and in Somerset also a good 
deal is done in this way. The exact spot 
likely to be suitable for a seed farm de¬ 
pends, not upon the fertility of the soil, so ' 
much as dryness. What is necessary is a ] 
short season of rapid growth, resulting in 
early maturity, for if growth is maintained 
until late summer there is small chance 
of ripening a satisfactory crop of seed. 
Of the routine work of weighing, measiir- 
ing, packeting, and packing orders it is 
unnecessary to write, except to remark 
that in the case of seeds to be sent to 
distant lands, especially those that cross 
the Equator, special precautions have to 
be taken to ensure safe transit. The seeds 
are first treated in a heated chamber, in 
order that moisture, which during transit 
through tropical climates would set up J 
germination, may be removed. Tinfoil | 
packets and hermetically sealed cases are ( 
used to ensure safe transit. v 
My concluding word is to youtlis : 
embarking on a horticultural career, f 
It is, in my opinion, highly desir- 
Me that anyone whose ambition it is J 
to make his mark in horticulture should 
spend a year or tw'o in a really good seed = 
establishment, and, notwithstanding the j 
oft-made assertion that horticulture affords 
meagre return for much study and labour, 
the belief is held by myself that there is ^ 
plenty of room and possibilities, especially [ 
in this branch of the profession, for men of 
enterprise and ability. A. J. Macself. 
