Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-04-10
agricultural.
The importance of Good Start in
Vegetable Growth.

We commend to our readers the following
excellent suggestion from Coleman Rurdi
World, upon point, we think very little
considered by most farmers and gardeners
This is almost always overlooked. So that
we get our grain to - come up after Gull
ture, after benefit will do the rest. 1t is that
upon which people most rely They provide
plaster and ashes the superphosphates, GU
anO. &c, and rely upon these. This is evil
IDENTIFY an error. For instance. fruit is set
with a dozen or two of berries to the cluster
where it should have had double, triple that
1t is in consequence of the poor soil or treat
ment, or both; or. on the other hand, by the
excess of wood growth, that SO few berries
are set-they are set according to the capa-
city of the soil and plant. Now, all the af-
ter culture of the plant Will not increase the
number of berries; it will increase only the
size. Thus we have had clusters of neglected
grape vine crowded in the berry that a
quarter to a third of the berries had TO be re-
moved This, in consequence of improved
after culture-in one case caused by remov-
ing several of the main divisions of the vine,
thus throwing the increased force into the
rest As the germ sets the fruit, so viii ii
he. save in size of berry only
Another thing is of still greater moment.
indigenous plants, which grow from the out
side-of which Indian corn is noted exam
ple-will put forth in sprouting something
approximating the future thickness of the
stem. reaching in short time the full. OF
nearly the full circumference of the stalk
The growth after that is upward in length
but necessarily more or less incorporation tc
the width. If then a slender stem is put
forth-slender it will be. more or less. during
its growth.
This is one of the reasons why rich soil, OF
soil MANFRED at the surface and narrowed in
at the time of sowing, yield the hest crops
TOp-dressing of hOed crops viii benefit, but
in less Representatives very little, some
times nothing at all. You can never make a
heavy stalk of corn out of spindling plant
when it issues from the soil You can i'm
prove it in length but only little other
wise
of course the grains which not of thi:
nature (the exogenous) are exempt from thi.
influence. They will expand laterally vel
as longitudinally. Still the measure of tn,
plant in its embryo will more OF less affec
it's growth during its life
Here, then, we see the wisdom of prepar
ing our soil properly, and ofgetting the right
seeti-for an imperfect seed must necessaril,
produce an imperfect plant. Start well ,
j. the old maxim 1t is especially So in tn,
vegetation of plants. The start is more thar
half here After culture will help. But i
alone will never make good plant-nevel
make a good one out ola poor one You
might as we'll change black into white in the
plumage of birds, or make a barley-corn grow
from an acorn Let first principles then be
right. If these are right, there is little doub
that the same industrious hand that secured
the good start will not neglect the rest. Sc
cure, then. a good start to all that grows GU
of the earth and SO of the animal world al
we'll There is strong analogy between thu
two.