CLEANING SEED. 181 



Mr. Ware. In cleaning seed, we sink it, in order to have it 

 very pure. Seed that has been sunk, I should be -afraid to 

 plant the second year, although, if proper care is taken in dry- 

 ing, it might be saved ; but ordinarily, I should avoid sinking 

 the seed for more than the present year's planting. Without 

 sinking, I think the carrot seed is very good the second year ; a 

 little risky the third. Onion seed, I should say about the same. 

 If not sunk, very good the second year ; the third, I should be 

 suspicious of it. Turnip seed, not good after the second year. 

 Mangold wurzel will last quite a number of years. Cabbage, 

 four, five, perhaps six years, provided it is well cared for. 



Mr. Hubbard. How is the cleaning of the seed done ? 



Mr. Ware. I think I know how to clean carrot seed, and 

 perhaps it may be interesting to you all to know. I labored 

 very hard in cleaning it before I knew how. I think the proper 

 way is, after it is harvested and put away to dry, to select some 

 very clear day in winter, when the thermometer is down to zero 

 or below, and spread it on the floor, on a piece of coarse canvas, 

 and thrash it with the flail until you get tired ; then turn it 

 over and thrash it again, and it will become very fine. Carrot 

 seed has a little fibre on it, which we want to get rid of, because 

 we cannot sow it so readily if those fibres are on it. In pound- 

 ing the seed in this way, in cold weather, all these little fibres 

 will come off, or, if there are some that have not come off, a 

 very good finish to it is to take a board and press it, pushing a 

 little at the same time. It will sort of grind upon itself, and 

 grind off all these little fibres that still remain on the seed. 

 Then you have small portions of the stalk that the seed grew 

 on, the dust of these little hairy fibres that grew on the seed, 

 good sound solid seed, and light seed, that is not good. I think 

 the life of a little plant depends in a great measure upon the 

 amount of nutrition there is in the seed itself; therefore, a 

 large, plump seed, will make a very much stronger plant than a 

 weak seed, that will only just germinate. We don't want to 

 plant any of this seed that will barely germinate and make a 

 plant ; we don't call that good seed. We want to separate the 

 large, plump, heavy seed from this light seed, so we put it all 

 into a tub, fill the tub with water, and stir it up some little 

 time, but not too long, for if you do, you will get some seed 

 that you ought not to have. The solid seed will readily sink, 



