EGG-PLANT. 157 



ing the fruit it will be noticed that about one- third of 

 the meat may be cut away from the stem end without 

 harming the seed. Pare this away, remove all the 

 skin, and quarter it with a dull knifr. If rollers of 

 an old cane mill are at hand they may be set far 

 enough apart in blocks, to crush the fleshy portion 

 without injuring the seed. If one has an acre or 

 so from which to save seed, it will pay to construct a 

 set of wooden rollers in absence of cane mill rollers. 

 Put this crushed material in a barrel for maceration ; 

 do not make the barrel more than two-thirds full of 

 pumice and water. Set the barrel out of the hot sun, 

 but keep it in some warm place. In twenty-four hours 

 stir the pumice up thoroughly, so as to have all parts 

 mixed evenly. The pumice may be left to ferment for 

 two or three days, depending upon the temperature in 

 the meantime. Secure a No. 3 sieve that will go hand- 

 ily into the inside of the barrel. Fill a half barrel with 

 water and place a sieve in the water, but not on the bot- 

 tom of the half barrel. The sieve may be held in 

 place by wires stretched across the barrel. Dip the 

 seed out of the barrel and put them into the sieve, 

 work the pumice around so as to break it into small 

 pieces. Some of the pumice and the seed will go 

 through the sieve and fall to the bottom, while the 

 larger portions will be taken out and thrown away, 

 then a fresh lot will be taken from the barrel and the 

 work continued as before until three or four inches of 

 material has collected in the bottom of the barrel. 

 This may be turned out into a barrel and a second 

 sieve of No. 6 wire used for the second preparation. 

 The meshes of this sieve are just large enough to let 

 all the seed pass through and screen out all the pumice 

 that is left. As soon as all the seed has been worked 

 through the second sieve, it may be placed on a third 



