The Canadian Horticulturist. 53 



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HOW TO SAVE THE SEED. 



With a very sharp knife cut the tomato into halves through the centre 

 between the stem and blossom ends. Then take the halves in your hand so as 

 not to cover the cut surface, and squeeze the seed out into a tub or barrel. Set 

 the seed away in a warm place until fermentation takes place. It will ferment 

 in from twenty-four to forty-eight hours, according to the state of the atmosphere 

 and degree of heat there may be during the time. After fermentation com 

 mences it should stand from five to ten hours, until the strings and pulp sepa" 

 rate freely from the seed. Be careful not to let it stand too long, or the seed 

 will sprout and be useless. To test it, put a little of the seed into a dish, and 

 add water and wash it, if the seed separates readily from the pulp, and will sink 

 to the bottom, it is ready to clean. 



To clean the seed, add about one-half water, and then stir vigorously for 

 two or three minutes Let it stand until the seed sinks to the bottom, then 

 pour off the water vtry slowly and as much as possible without wasting any of 

 the seed : add more water and repeat the washing process until the seed has 

 been entirely freed Irom the pulp. Then transfer the seed to a fine wire seive, 

 and let it drain a few minutes. Then squeeze it into balls with your hands 

 until it is as dry as you can get it. Spread it thinly on shutters or tables, and 

 set it in the sun ; out of the reach of winds which might blow it away when it 

 becomes dry. As soon as thoroughly dry, store away out of the reach of mice 

 or insects. If there is considerable quantity of it put it in an open box in a dry 

 room for a week or two, and stir it up with your hand every day or two to 

 prevent it from heating. Be sure and label the seed very plainly, and enter also 

 the day of month and year when it was saved. 



CHAPTER II. 



SOWING SEED AND RAISlN(i PLANTS. 



To raise early, strong plants, the best place is a greenhouse heated with hot 

 water. The best size is a house 1 2 feet wide and the length necessary to grow 

 the quantity of plants required. The passage in the centre should be two feet 

 wide ; the benches should be made so as to hold 8 inches of very rich soil. 

 Two four inch hot water pipes under each bench, with boiler large enough to 

 keep a heat of 70 degrees in the coldest weather, will be required. 



It is not my intention to describe in this work different modes of building 

 and heating hothouses for plant raising, but to mention briefly those conditions 

 which I have found best adapted for this purpose 



The soil should be very rich and mellow, and contain about one fifth part 

 of medium fine sand. The first sowing should be made the last week in 

 February or first of March in this part of Canada. If plenty of heat can be 



