208 
VEGETABLE GARDENING 
The seed should not he harvested until fully ripe 
When gathered in wholesale lots without the careful se- 
lection which has been described, the plants are cut, hung 
in the dry for a few days and then threshed. The chaff 
is next removed and the berries soaked in water for a 
day or two when the skin and the pulp may be readily 
removed by the use of a wooden block, followed by suc- 
cessive washings. Carefully selected seeds are stripped 
from the plants by hand, soaked for a day or two and the 
pulp removed by rubbing the berries between the hands 
or by the gentle use of a wooden block, after which they 
are washed, thoroughly dried and stored as other dry 
seeds. In the process of washing, the heavy seeds sink, 
while the light ones float and are poured off with the 
shells and the pulp. Further selection of large, plump 
seed may be made by screening with a mesh of proper size. 
273. Propagation. — It is universally conceded that a 
strong one-year-old crown is superior to older crowns. 
The roots of two-year plants are seriously mutilated 
when dug, and the younger plant becomes established 
more quickly and grows more rapidly. The best cultural 
conditions must be provided to grow strong crowns in a 
single season. 
The richest garden soils should be selected for this 
purpose, and the seed sown in the spring as soon as the 
ground can be prepared. As the seed germinates very 
slowly, an early start is important to have the benefit 
of a long season. If hand wheel hoes are to be used, the 
rows should be not less than 15 inches apart; while for 
horse tillage 30 inches is not too much space. A pound 
of plump, fresh seed should produce at least 3,000 plants. 
The propagator should aim to have a strong plant every 
2 inches, though 3 inches apart in the row is bette r 
spacing to produce the most vigorous crowns. 
Thinning is often necessary to prevent crowding and 
the production of weak plants. As the small plants are 
