192 Subtropical Vegetable-Gardening 



save any ; but one will never have varieties better adapted 

 to his own conditions until there is some seed-grower who 

 will select tomatoes with special wants in view. The very 

 best plants should be selected, not the best individual 

 fruits, from the variety that has done well, and these 

 allowed to ripen their fruits. These may then be gathered 

 and broken into pomace, or may be cut and the seed, 

 together with the parts that contain the seed, taken out 

 and placed in a barrel to macerate for a day or so. In 

 the meantime it should be stirred several times to make the 

 rotting as even as possible. To separate the seed from the 

 pomace, the directions given under eggplant should be 

 followed. 



Canning. 



All tomato-growing districts or communities should 

 have one or more canning factories to preserve the 

 surplus as well as the fruit that becomes too ripe for 

 shipping in the fresh state. The greatest difficulty 

 seems to be in having a sufficient amount of labor 

 at hand to carry the work on successfully. In tropi- 

 cal and subtropical regions many other vegetables as 

 well as fruits might be grown especially for canning 

 purposes. 



In several places, cooperative canneries have been 

 established which are giving returns satisfactory to those 

 interested. Such a corporation does business just as if it 

 were a private enterprise. The advantage in this plan is 

 that many are working for a common cause. The ex- 

 pense of erecting a canning factory is by no means the 

 most important consideration. An establishment that 



