The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-31
PLANTS AND SEEDS.
INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT
FLOWERS AND VEGETABLES.

Tho Art OF Improving Plants by Cross
Brceding-Ccrtain Colors Not Yet OBJ
taincd-HiSh Priced Seeds-Large Guam
titles OF Some Kinds Used Annually.
Tho cultivation Of plants for seeds has
assumed such enormous proportions in re-
cent years that, us practiced under the in
tense systems of tho present day, the ocou-
patton combines both On nrt and science.
Tho original individuals of almost every
garden vegetable and every garden flower
have been trained from wild state, i'm
proved through cultivation and patient
selection.
The garden cabbage serves as good IL
lustration in this respect, for here VIC have
the highest cultivated typo of useless
plant that Is still found growing in wild
state upon tho Kentish cliffs, and yet, II
this pedigree form were not carefully
guarded while in the hands Of the expert
1t would be only too ready to revert back
to its original condition.
AS an example Of tho operation of cross
breeding, which has had so much to do
with the Improvement Of tho ordinary
species, we will take tho garden pea. Tho
operator, wo will say, Is anxious to obtain
sort called "Tolophone," only that he
wants it two feet shorter in tho haulm
and to bear Its pod three weeks earlier.
His first course is to grow row of two
kinds side by sido-sorts which, in his
opinion, give tho desired result. At tho
proper time ho fertilizes tho flowers Of ono
with the other. AS soon Ms tho pods arc
ripo and tho poas como to be shelled out it
is sometimes found that they are composed
of regular mixture of round seeds in va
rious shades Of blue and white and wrin-
Killed. seed bearing similar distinctive char
actoristics, and this In face of tho fact
that the seeds Of the parents were almost
identical
Tho progeny is sorted and sown the fol-
lowing season in rows side by side and
the outcome is astonishing. Ono row will
perhaps DO quito q fortnight earlier than
its neighbor. Another will only grow one
foot high. A third will DO six feet, and
to such an oxtont does this variation exist
that it quito negatives tho old saying, "As
like rs peas in pod"
Servings arc repeated eaoh season, al
ways retaining those showing the points
aimod at in the greatest degree, and it ul-
timatoly occupies six years before the &C.
leotcd variety Is ready for placing on tho
market.
Hybridizing Is quite distinct process
from tho aforemontioned-the one being
tho intermingling Of two varieties of one
species; the other tho fusion of two dis
tinct species. AS a very fnir example we
will take the hybrid fruit exhibited in
London between gooseberry and black
currant. Although tho means to bring
about such curious result were applied
by tho art Of man, the outcome can only
bo ClRSscd rs a freak of Dature
Among flowers there are many bcauti-
full things that have boon obtained by this
means.
With all the resources at mans COM
mand there aro certain colors in flowers
that have not yet been obtained, and a
handsome fortune awaits the first lucky
raiser OF blue dahlia, q blue rose, yell
low Roranium, blue carnation or O puro
white or blue nasturtium.
twill astonish many who read this ar
ticlo to know that 1t requires several tons
of such seeds as mignonette, sweet peas,
nnsturtium, nemophila and candytuft to
supply tho contents of tho millions of
packets that arc distributed cach season.
One largo London firm gets through six
tons of mignonetto and 10 tons of sweet
peas, while among vegetables they have
laid themselves out to distribute 80, GOO
bushels of garden peas.
When 1t is stated that each bushol scales
about half hundrcdwcight, it will DO
seen this represents the astounding weight
of 1850 tons, or sufficient to fill $4,000
sacks, or 156 ordinary railway trucks. or
turnip seeds they expect their crops to
give thcm several hundred tons, the great
est market for this seed just now being
New Zealand, whcro tho root is largely
grown for producing tho mutton SO popu-
lar In this country. Clover and grass seeds
nrc also handled by tho hundred tons in
the course of u season.
The littlo canary and other cage birds re-
quiro several hundred tons of tho canary
grass seed every year. Astonishing as it
may seem, it is nevertheless true that ono
sood firm distributed over 100 tons of this
bird seed in ~ months
Although certain seeds are handled in
such enormous quantities, there arc others
that are worth many times their weight
In gold. These mostly consist of choice
strains of flowers. Take, rs instances, tho
double begonia, worth about 5000 an ounce,
calceolaria about $50 and certain sorts Of
pansies $40.
Some Of these seeds arc rs minute as
dust, yet tho contents Of each tiny packet
rs offered for sale comprise SO many seeds,
the exact number being counted in by an
operator skilled at tho work and who is
obliged to wear specially constructed
glasses
A flower farm is delightful sight in
summer, where breadths of one to ten
acres of brilliant colors make an effective
mark in tho landscape and produce n series
of chromatic hues Of tho most striking
character. A recent visit to field garden
of this description calls to mind q few of
tho beautiful things wa eaU
The first to arrest attention was q new
chrysanthemum, with q rosettelike center
ana broad margin of ray 1orets of pale