Tumbledown Farm .9 Acres (give or take an acre or two)

Excerpt: SPECIAL strains of seeds are necessary for this system of culture. As a rule, it is a waste of time to use ordinary seeds, as however good they may be for the open ground, they are quite unsuitable for forcing work.

CHAPTER XI
Seeds

SPECIAL strains of seeds are necessary for this system of culture. As a rule, it is a waste of time to use ordinary seeds, as however good they may be for the open ground, they are quite unsuitable for forcing work.

French gardeners frequently raise their own seeds. Similar strains can be obtained from some of the Paris seedsmen. Many English seedsmen send out seeds of excellent forcing strains which would doubtless prove quite satisfactory; trial should be made of these.

To avoid disappointment and loss through bad seeds, they should be tested, before sowing, for percentage of germination, as follows:

Put upon a plate a folded piece of flannel, damped with warm water, and upon this flannel place a carefully-counted number of seeds. Stand the plate in a warm place. Next day the good seeds will have sprouted. Then, by counting these, the percentage of vitality in the seed can be calculated.

The following is a list of seeds suitable for a French garden of two acres. It is not suggested that the quantities are exact or the number of varieties complete, but it will form
42 French Gardening
some guide. Although various names are given, both French and English, for each class of work, it should be noted that only one in each class is required:

CARROT.

For hot-beds: Grelot, Early Parisian, Early Frame, Early Forcing, Paris Forcing, or Forcing Horn--5lb.
For second early and open-air work: Bellot, Nantes Selected, Early Horn, or French Horn--5lb.

CABBAGE LETTUCE.

For earliest work under frames and cloches: Gotte à graine noire, Crêpe a graine noire, Early French Frame, Early Paris, or Earliest of All--2lb.
For standing through the winter in the open, earliest outside spring, and late autumn crops: Passion Blanche à graine noire, All the Year Round, Hammersmith Hardy Green, or Hardy White Dutch--1lb.
For summer crops: Palatine, Percheronne, Continuity, Summer Standwell, or Perpetual­--1lb.

COS LETTUCE.

For frames or cloches: Romaine Plate, Romaine Grise Maraîchère, Flat Green of Paris, Paris Market, Paris White, or Boston Market--1lb.
For earliest open-air beds in spring: Blonde Maraîchère, Verte Maraîchère--1lb.

Seeds 43
For summer: Mammoth White or White Heart--1/2lb.
For outdoor beds in winter: Blonde d'hiver, Verte d'hiver, Hardy Winter White, or Black-seeded Bath--1lb.

CAULIFLOWER.

For frames and cloches: Tendre de Paris or Salomon, demi-dur de Paris, Early French, Parisian Frame, Early London, or Defiance Forcing--1/4lb.
For spring and summer work: Lecerf, Lenormand, Snowball, or Mont Blanc--1/4lb.

CELERY.

For bleaching in the bed: Chemin, Sandring­ ham Dwarf White, Solid Ivory, Early Perfection White--2oz.
For latest crop and bleaching in the frame: Turc vert d'hiver, Grove Red or Defiance Red--2oz.

CUCUMBER.

For frames: Any good variety of Tele­graph--500 seeds.
For out-door: Any good ridge variety--1/4lb.

ENDIVE.

For early summer: Rouennaise, Green Curled, White Curled, or French Mossy Curled--1/4lb.
For autumn and late work: Frisée de Meaux, La Ruffec, or Green Batavian--1/4lb.

44 French Gardening

MELON (CANTELOUPE).

Large Hardy Prescot, Prescot Improved, Parisian Canteloupe, or Paris Favourite--2,000 seeds.

RADISH.

Forcer Rond Rose à bout blanc, Forcing French Breakfast, White-tipped Paris, or Early Forcing--1/2 bushel.

SPINACH.

Monstrous Viroflay, Giant-leaved Winter, or Market Favourite--1/2lb.

TURNIP.

Forcer demi-long blanc, Milan blanc, Vertus Race Marteau, Long Parisian, White Forcing, or Early Long Forcing--5lb.
(NOTE.--Turnips are usually grown as a change when the soil is "tired" of carrots.)