Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-02-16
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Fec. lSxh. Iseo.

Fec. lSsh, 1855
EDgToS Pou--IYxz-rzkDcR:
Nov, vhiis ve are waiting for the
ground TO Res dry enough 10 plev. let
as tzrn our attention to the seeds ve
stall heed in order 70 have Q good gar
dso. IL you saved seeds Of your ovu
growing last season. selected from the
finest specimens, look them up and see
If yeo can find them. They may have
been uislaid and lost. or the mice may
have destroyed them. or they msy not
have been labeled and you will no. know
what varieties they are II you saved
snly What was left after using the best
Of the peas, corn, beans, ks-. last year,
yoo had better throw them away and
boy new; for it il only the earliest and
best specimens that should Be saved for
seed, and not the small, late, struggling
SET ds that chance to remain in your gar
den in the fall. This subject Of seed
grevinR and seed saving / gill reserve
for some future writing. The msss of
you Will buy the commission seeds at
the stores, and then complain that they
de not come up good; for il 10 30 natural
for rs 70 neglect to provide until We
need 10 use, and it 10 80 much easier to
buy at the store; and il In certain to be
found that some of this old seed, that
has been for years waiting purchaser,
is worthless. Failure 70 terminate,
however provoking, is not the worst
quality ve may find in seeds. II they
do not come mp. se have the chance to
rep!ant With fresh seeds, and still get q
crop. Ii Is far more sRRrsvatine and
unfortunate TO find late in the season,
after having cultivated and tended the
growing plants for months, that after
all our labor and pains We have an infe-
Nor or worthless variety, and not the
kind We desired. So Of the svo should
far prefer that the seed shocid entirely
fail to grow than to have it prove untrue
20 name, q mopQrel or worthless kind.
or te have 1t prove late when early 10
wanted, or Woe versa. Besides, We can
easily test our seeds beforehand and as
certain II they will terminate; bat only
after ve have carefully tended them
threogh the season can Ne know il they
are genuine or counterfeit.
what a strange thing 10 seed. What
possibilities lie wrapped In the brown,
dead looking shell! Examine with the
most powerful microscope and you can
not tell If it will develop into fine head
Of cabbage or bunch of loose leaves;
whether it will prove an early Jersey
Wakefield In June. or q Marbiehea
Mammoth in November. Even il you
have grown it yourself, it may have been
oss-fertilized With some other kind
growing near it, and thus prove Q worth
less mongrel.
II you have found q scotsman who
has always given vou fresh, genuine, re-
liable seeds, stick to him. He is level.
Do not exchange him for some other
Who comes cot with q gaudily colored
catalogue, singing bis own praises. The
chances are that the seed will fall far
short Of coming up TO the high standard
represented by the high oolored pictures
and descriptions. Few seed dealsrs
selves are often deceived by those Of
whom they purchase; besides, they are
often tempted to buy cheap seeds and
palm them on a. first class at good
prices.
As q rule, northern grown seeds are
best; but because you buy them Of
northern seed dealer ia no guarantee
that the seeds are northern grown, for
the dealers ransack the whole earth to
gather their supplies, and the seeds yes
get may have been grown in some other
country altogether. Vast Quantities of
foreign grown cheap seeds are used by
all the large seed dealers. So it is safer
to buy Of the grower who makes q spe-
cialty Of the seeds you want, as grower
generally excels in his specislties. And
when you have found the best source of
supply, stick to it until you have reason
to believe you have found a better.
Novelties should be tested to see what
they will do IN your own soil and local.
ity. but do not depend upon them for
main crop until you have found that
they are worth growing; for, however
highly praised, only trial will prove if
they are adapted to your use. Be alert,
however. TO procure the best varieties as
soon az they are introduced; and there
Is no better way Of knowing what they
will do than by trying them in small
quantities yourself. Better be dissp-
pointed several times than to mics one
really superior Improvement.
A. g. TLLINaHAsr