SECRETARY'S REPORT. 255 



after they are ripened, but as we write not for these alone, but 

 for all who wish to save their own, whether garden or field 

 seeds ^ a few words may not be out of place. The farmer has, 

 generally, so much on his hands, that unless he is uncommonly 

 attentive to details, he will often suffer loss during the ripening 

 season. In regard to the field crops, such as the grains and 

 grass, there is generally too much at stake to allow of careless- 

 ness, because a crop of wheat or rye, so poorly preserved as to be 

 unfit for seed, would be worth little for the market. Due caution, 

 however, is not always used even here, as there are certain seeds, 

 such as broom-corn, beans, Hungarian grass, and, perhaps, millet, 

 which contain a considerable amount of water when they appear 

 quite dry. We once came near losing a fine lot of Hungarian grass- 

 seed, because, being unacquainted with the crop, and judging 

 only by the eye, we supposed the seed cured when it was not. 

 Particularly is this the case with Indian corn, and it arises from 

 the fact that its vitality is often destroyed, while its nutritive 

 properties remain uninjured, and to the eye, it appears perfectly 

 sound. It . is very common to hear among farmers the com- 

 jilaint that their corn does not come up, and the failure is attri- 

 buted to worms, or cold or wet weather, while the true cause is 

 imperfect seed. Sometimes corn is thrown into large heaps, 

 before husking, and the germinating power is destroyed by heat. 

 Sometimes, severely cold weather coming on before the chit is 

 dry, it freezes, and so becomes Worthless as seed. To be perfect, 

 seed corn should be selected in the field, braided and hung up 

 immediately, each trace by itself, in some place where it will be 

 secure from frost until thoroughly dry. Such seed can hardly 

 fail to come, if planted any time after the first of April. Many 

 kinds of garden seeds do not ripen all of their seeds at the same 

 time. These should be watched, and not suffered to stand too 

 long. In some cases it may be necessary to make several 

 successive gatherings. 



Those seeds that are enclosed in a pulpy substance, such as 

 tomatoes and cucumbers, should be allowed to lie in some vessel 

 with their own juice, and water added, if necessary, until the 

 mass becomes quite sour, when, by a little washing, the pulp 

 rises, and may be poured off. 



The whole art of preserving seeds seems capable of being- 

 summed up in a few simple rules. 



