INTRODUCTORY. 7 



and cleaning will be found given for most varieties as 

 they are severally treated upon, under their respective 

 headings, but it may further matters to present some 

 of these in a general way, in advance herewith. 



Threshing. The operation of threshing most seeds, 

 not of a pulpy character, may be done, either with a 

 flail, a roller drawn by horses, or a threshing machine. 

 One of the most popular threshing machines on the 

 market, designed for many varieties of vegetable seed, 

 is made by the Bidwell Co. , at Batavia, N. Y. 



When threshing is done with a flail, do so lightly to 

 avoid breaking of seed, particularly if it is of a soft, 

 oily nature. By threshing on a cloth, seed is better 

 saved, and is not so liable to get broken as when the 

 work is done on the bare floor. The threshing cloth 

 may be made of canvas or cotton cloth. 



Cleaning. After threshing, the stalks and chaff are 

 raked away and seed is run through the machine called 

 a fan-mill or a seed cleaner. This machine is indis- 

 pensable for the proper cleaning of every kind of seed, 

 and may be purchased through any dealer in agricul- 

 tural machinery. 



It is important here to call attention to the fact that 

 even farm seeds, such as wheat, oats, barley, timothy, 

 clover, millet, etc. , should not be sown without having 

 been given a thorough cleaning in a fan-mill, to remove 

 weed-seeds, and light, immature seeds. Tests which 

 were made for a number of years at several of our ex- 

 periment stations, have demonstrated that the removal 

 of small, immature, and damaged seeds, results in 

 better yields, both as to quality and quantity, the in- 

 crease of same amounting to twenty to twenty-five per 

 cent. 



Some kinds of seed are not always thoroughly cleaned 



