"Mrs. Theodosia B. S.," San Buena Ventura, Cal., asks : "Will you kindly inform me through the columns of the Gardeners' Monthly, why pot grown seeds of Stocks are superior to those grown in the open ground ? Stocks grow to the greatest perfection here (where we never have frost) and seed well. I raise several varieties of the seeds, in different colors. I have difficulty in disposing of them to florists, as they all wish pot-grown seeds. As the flowers of double stocks are barren, so they cannot be used in hybridizing. I cannot see why pot-grown seeds are superior to open ground seed.

"Henderson says in his.' Hand-book of Plants : All that is necessary to have plenty of double flowers in stocks is, to have seed from strong vigorous single plants. I have found from experience that he is correct, nothing could be finer than our stocks from open ground seed. Yet it seems impossible to convince florists east of this.

" I will be greatly obliged if you will give me the desired information".

[To answer our correspondent's questions clearly, we shall have to go over some scattered ground. It will require close attention; but the reader will be repaid by a full knowledge of the whole subject.

First, we must remember that plants do not flower at all until there has been some check to the vegetative force. If the tree grows very vigorously, we have to root prune it, or in some other way injure or check the growing force. We put this in another form of expression, and we say - the Intensity of the reproductive or seed-bearing force is inversely with the plant's hold on life.

Secondly, we may remember, that a flower is made up of metamorphosed leaves. The calyx is an organ, but little removed from a leaf; the corolla is formed from leaves still further advanced. Stamens are leaves, and pistils the organs more particularly related to reproduction, are leaves quite distantly removed.

Thirdly, a double flower is one that has not advanced towards the reproductive stage further than to form petals, with perhaps a few stamens, and makes no seed.

We see from all, that a double flower is the product of a plant, or a portion of a plant, that has had its vegetative powers but slightly checked. This has been actually tested by experiment, by the present writer, and an account formed one of his earliest scientific papers, now getting on to near a half century ago. A large number of plants of the six-week stocks were taken, and a few seed vessels from the first flowers, when the plant had barely passed its vegetative state, were taken; and separately were taken seed from the last flowers on the secondary branches, and when the plant was about to die. The result was the production of nearly all double flowers in the first lot, and single flowers in the second.

We now sum up all in the following conclusion: High vegetative vigor is unfavorable to the production of single flowers.

Carrying this to the direct question of our correspondent, it will not matter so much whether plants are pot-grown or not, except in so far as this may aid or assist vegetative vigor. In some parts of the world first-class pot-culture would aid vegetative vigor, and then a good portion of double flowers would certainly result. And it is no doubt from this experience that florists have learned to look on pot culture as the necessary means to a good strain of double flowers. Plants left to out-door chances, would be much more likely to have vegetative vigor impaired, and produce strains of single flowers.

But anyone can see that it is possible to feed well, and get a plant to live vigorously in the open ground; and, on the other hand, to border on starvation in a pot under glass; and if this were the rule, the great run would be against, and not in favor of, pot-grown plants.

No doubt, if this lady perseveres, she will be able to show that her out-door seed is just as good for double flowers as that raised under glass.

We have gone into the subject at some length here, because it concerns not only the production of double stocks, but also because the answer to her questions affects the whole range of practical horticulture.