SAVE THIS YEAR’S SEED FOR NEXT YEAR’S GARDEN 31 
the early morning, to prevent shattering. 
Place plants in a dry, well aired place until 
seed are hard. Shell and spread in a layer 
until dry. 
Sweet Corn — Select the ears just at 
maturity and while on plants, as plant must 
be considered as well as the ear. The plant 
should be free from disease and preferably 
have two or more good ears to the stalk. The 
distance between joints should be short and 
the ears set on short, strong shanks. Ears 
should be nearly cylindrical and should taper 
but slightly from butts 
to tips. They should 
be well filled out, with 
husks tightly folded 
over ears. Pick ears 
from plants maturing 
at nearly the same time, 
uniform in size, strong 
and well rooted. Me- 
dium sized ears are 
best. When fully ma- 
ture strip down husks 
and string up 10-15 
ears in a dry shady 
place so as to dry out 
ears quickly. 
Cucumbers and 
Summer Squash — 
Select desirable fruits 
when in the usable 
stage. Allow them to 
remain on vines until 
ripe, as indicated by 
change of color or 
hardening of surface. 
Remove the seed from 
the ripe fruit and wash 
free of pulp. Spread 
in a thin layer in the 
sunshine to dry, stirring 
frequently. A quart 
or less should dry satisfactorily in a day. 
Eggplant 1 — When fruit is opened for 
food, select the best formed seed, wash and 
dry. 
Lettuce — Plants for seed should be 
started early enough so that seed setting 
and ripening does not occur during the 
hot weather. With heading varieties it 
may be necessary to cut across the tops 
of the heads to allow the seed stalks to 
push through. When seed heads turn white 
and open, cut or pull the plants, put heads 
in paper bags and hang in a dry place until 
seed are ripened and drop out of heads, or 
lay the plants on a table in a dry airy place. 
Potatoes — Select productive seed hills, as 
nearly free from disease as possible. Potatoes 
should be true as to variety, which means 
that a late variety should not be substituted 
for early variety if the crop is to be harvested 
early. Early varieties cannot be substituted 
for late varieties as they are not as productive. 
Seed potatoes should be kept dormant in a 
dark, cool place until planting time. The 
production of 
long sprouts, or 
wilting, will re- 
duce the vigor. 
Rub off the long 
sprouts before 
the potatoes are 
planted. 
Radishes — 
Select the finest 
roots and cut off 
all but a few 
central leaves. 
Put the roots in 
a moist, airy 
place for a short 
time and then plant them with the crown 
an inch below the surface. When seed 
ripen, cut plants and lay on paper exposed 
in the sun. When the outside covering is 
dry, then rub out seed, dry and store. 
Tomatoes — Gather fruit from selected 
plants when a little 
over ripe, but not de- 
cayed. The seed may 
be freed by one of 
two methods. One of 
these is to crush the 
fruit, and force through 
a sieve, and then put 
the seed in a coarse 
cloth and press out 
pulp under water. 
Another method is to 
crush fruit, put in a 
container and allow to 
ferment for two or 
three days, stirring 
once in a while. The 
seed settle and the pulp 
which rises may be 
poured off. Wash the 
seed in clear water 
an dry. 
Winter Squash, Pumpkin, Muskmelon, 
Watermelon 
When fruit is opened for food, select the 
besf formed seed, wash and dry. 
SEED MATURING IN TWO YEARS 
Such vegetables as beets, carrots, parsnip, 
salsify, cabbage, etc., which require one season 
in which to grow will produce seed in the 
second year. Seeds of beets, carrots, cauli- 
flower, turnips and late radishes are not often 
grown satisfactorily in the home garden. 
Fig. 12 — To remove 
kernels when prepar- 
ing to plant or to test 
seed, insert knife be- 
tween rows and pry- 
sideways. 
Fig. 13 — Hubbard squash. A 
good type winter squash for 
seed. 
