Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-07-07


A lady who has been reading my Gar
den Talks" requests that tell through the
Ftrnler how | save certain kinds of flow
err seeds. 1t will perhaps be interesting
to the general reader to say something on
the subject. There is no general rule to
be laid down in the management of seeds,
but the details must be learned by expert
ence, rs each variety requires n special
treatment. When | first began in the
seed business | wasted II great deal OF
precious time, from not knowing how to
manage. For example, we saved our
petunia and portulacca seeds by picking
single pod Mt Il time with thumb and
finger, and paid fifteen dollars for saw
ing four ounces of choice petunia in this
way; now grow the same seed ut profit,
ut five dollars pound, The lady in ques-
ton asked particularly about pansy seed.
The pansy belongs to the class of plants
which scatter their own seeds, and TO save
the seeds they must be gathered quite
green, for rs soon rs the pods turn yellow
they burst open and throw the seeds quite
n distance. A single row will seed II strip
nearly ten feet wide, and as they are
hardy they will come up in autumn, live
over winter, and blossom early in the
spring Phox is another of the plants
that throws its seed by the bursting of the
pods, and after many experiments | have
adopted the rule of watching, and when
there is fair amount of ripe Seed | pull
it up by the roots and spread it on large
sheets in warm garrett Ia this way,
with but little trouble and expense, we
80 I,,N, Ga
better to plant more land than to try to
save all the seed by repeated hand pick
ings.
Petunia and portulacca we manage in
the same way, except that we cut the
portulacca and let it grow up for second
crop. Verbenas must be hand-pickcd,
going over the beds twice week for sew
cral weeks. Its seeds grow on long stems
something like wheat heads, and the seed
at the base is ripe and beginning to waste
before those at the point are fairly formed,
so that we only save part OF the seed.
There are other varieties of seed which
belong to the wind-dispersed family,
which come out like the dandeion with
feathcry attachment on which they
will be waited away if neglected, and
the Sc must be gathered every day The
cacallio and some of the everastings
are of this kind, among flowers and the
satisfy among vegetables. The size o.
plant is no index of the size or shlpe of
the seed, and it is n curious study to COM
pare the seeds of different plants. A
large, coarse plant will often have II seed
as fine and delicate us sifted sand, and a
small, delicate plant at its side, coarse
arge seed. For example, the foxglove,
a plant often growing five feet high. with
large leaves and great spikes of flowers
has a seed so small that a single one cal
scarcely be discerned by the naked ey,
while the nasturtium, delicate vine, has
n seed resembling q Ealf-grown nutmeg
Among trees we find the same contrast
the seed of the catalpa being lighter than
parsnip seed, while all are familiar
with the large bur oak and blacl
walnut. Again, some seeds are almos
as hard as pebbles for example, the hon
ey locust and coilee-nut. In handling
our ordinary vegetable seeds Il good dea
of knowledge is required. The cucumber
tomato, and some others must stand il
their juice and sour before they can be
cleaned so as to present II bright and
handsome appearance, and each variety
must have its own peculiar Treatment
which the scotsman learns by long cx.
perience. | have had three hundred
bushels of ripe cucumbers in pile, ant
TO cut them, if one did not know how
would be both serious and dangerou!
matter, for the liquid contents of a rip,
cucumber is like the white of AN egg, ant
as slippery rs an eel. But with II soping
spout securely fixed to an open barrel ant
n small, sharp knife blade stuck an incl
and half through from below, the oper-
ator has the use of both hands and cal
quickly and safely open his cucumbers
When it comes to saving pepper seed
we put half bushel OF so in barrel anC
chop them with spade until will
water we can wash out all the pepper
and leave the seed at the bottom
Some varieties of seed, such rs beet, par
snip and carrot, are threshed by
machine. have seen 1000 bushels of
single variety of beet on the floor @
a large curing house. Perhaps few q
our readers have ever thought what a
immense business the seed trade of tn
United States is, but when we remembe
that outside of our large cities, ever
family uses more or less seeds, it will b
seen that the aggregate of the business
enormous. If | could have II monopol
, oc the trade of n single state in one vs.
, riety of seed alone, such rs radish, bee
=, or lettuce, at five cents per paper, it woul
- enable Inc to spend summer in Europ,
! Every scotsman is ambitious to improv
= old, or establish new varieties of veget;
h bles, and there is perhaps no bushes
u carried on in which greater pains is take
!, to improve, Some varieties of seed r.
tain their vitality for many years. viii
otherSare worthless the second year. an
constant care and watchfulness is nece
> sary to see that the seeds sold are fires
and true to name Waldo h. BroWn,
Ohio Farmer.