Vol. LXIV. No. 2906. 
NEW YORK, OCTOBER 7, 1905 
WEEKLY, $1.00 PEK YEAli 
SUGGESTIONS ABOUT SEED GROWING. 
Generally speaking, it does not pay the average gar¬ 
dener to try to grow his own seed. There are reliable 
seedsmen who can do this work better, for the ama¬ 
teur will soon find that this is a special business. Ex¬ 
cept in special cases it will be a waste of time for the 
grower to try to save seeds from his garden. Still, as 
we have many requests from those who wish to know¬ 
how the work is done, we print the following simple 
rules of selection and care. 
QUALITIES SOUGHT—A grower who under¬ 
takes to improve a variety usually has one or two ob¬ 
jects in view. Either earliness or increase in yield, or 
possibly both; what he gains in earliness he loses in 
yield or quality, or vice versa. Thus we have in Cory 
corn something early, but poor in quality and yield 
compared to Evergreen. Then, again, in Nott’s Excel¬ 
sior peas we have quality and earliness but poor yield. 
Many of our plants deteriorate very rapidly if grown 
under unfavorable conditions, so that the seed grow r er 
must constantly select his best specimens to use for 
stock in order to keep his seed up to the standard. 
Thus if we should save seed from the 
remnants ot a crop of peas after the vines 
had been picked we would soon have 
vines producing pods with from one to 
four peas, or in the case of corn, the ears 
would gradually become smaller and 
later. The grower should always remem¬ 
ber that all varieties have a tendency to¬ 
ward deterioration, and that it is easier 
to breed in 10 defects than to breed out 
a single one. 
BEANS.—Select the earliest pods that 
have the desired shape, and the largest 
number of beans. Pull the vines when 
the above pods have become tough and 
leathery; pick off all undesirable pods, and 
allow to- dry. 
CORN.—Mark desirable ears, such as 
ripen the silk first for earliness; allow the 
stalks to stand until the husk has become 
partly dry, and the kernels are shriveled; 
dien select ears that are symmetrical, uni¬ 
form in size, and having the smallest 
cob- Size of cob may be seen by shell¬ 
ing out a row' of kernels. The ears should 
be dried as rapidly as possible in the-open 
air, and stored in a dry place. 
CUCUMBERS.—If the grower desires to improve his 
strain of cucumbers as regards earliness, select ihe 
first fruits that are uniform in size and pinch off the 
vine at the second joint beyond the fruit. The short 
fruit will be earlier than those that are inclined to grow 
long. If cucumbers are wanted for pickling the longer 
type is desirable. The cucumbers in either case should 
be left on the vine until they mature and have become 
yellow. Care should be taken that no defective speci¬ 
mens are used. The cucumbers are then cut in two 
and the seed scraped out in a wooden or earthen ves¬ 
sel, and exposed to the sun until the pul]) encircling the 
seed has rotted, when they can be washed in water 
until the seed sinks and is free from all sticky sub¬ 
stance, when a few hours’ drying in the sun will fit 
them for storing away. 
EGG PLANT.—Select the most desirable specimens, 
allow but one or two fruit to remain on the plant, thus 
hastening the ripening. Allow the fruit to ripen to 
the point of decay, when it may be cut open in slices 
and the seed separated from the greater part of the 
pulp, the whole mass to be treated same as cucumber. 
Care must be taken to wash out seed before discolora¬ 
tion occurs. 
LETTUCE—Select the most perfect heads, those 
showing the least tendency to go to seed, saving heads 
well formed, with leaves that closely confine the heart, 
When the heart assumes a conical shape a slight cut 
across the head will facilitate the growth of the seed 
stalk. If the weather should be wet, so that the plant 
is liable to rot, a portion of the lower leaves should be 
removed. As soon as the plant is in bloom (where 
but a few are grown) tie to a stake. When the seed 
head shows a downy condition the majority of the seeds 
are ripe, when they should be gathered and dried on 
sheets to be thrashed and cleaned later. 
MELONS.—Select specimens of uniform size and 
of desirable shape. If muskmelons they should be 
well netted, which is an indication of quality. Pinch 
off the vine as for cucumbers, and permit them to ripen 
thoroughly before cutting. When cutting make an¬ 
other selection, saving seed from fruits that have thick 
meat and small seed cells. Seed can then be treated 
the same as for cucumbers. Select watermelons having 
the thinnest rind and the deepest color; treatment of 
seed same as above, except that the seed can be washed 
at once- 
SQUASHES.—The above rules apply to squashes, ex¬ 
cept that wartiness in the crookneck and Hubbard is 
an indication of dryness and quality. 
PEAS.—Same as beans, except that the vines should 
be pulled as soon as the first pods become somewhat 
tough and have turned to a light green in color. If 
peas are left thoroughly to ripen it has a tendency to 
make them later. The peas should be a light green 
when dry. 
PEPPERS.—The fruit can be picked when they 
commence to turn red, and allowed to stand until thor¬ 
oughly red. when they can be cut so as to remove the 
portion holding the seed. The seed should be imme¬ 
diately scraped off and dried in the sun. 
RADISH.—Thin out seedlings of early radish to 
give plenty of room for development of plant. Allow 
the plant to remain until the majority of pods are ripe. 
Pull up plant and root, and save seed from those roots 
that have the desired shape, discarding others. Cut 
off roots, dry the pods and tops, and rub out seeds 
between the hands. 
SPINACH.—Select plants that have the broadest 
and thickest leaves- Permit the seed to get thoroughly 
ripe before cutting. It can be easily cleaned by same 
method as radish. 
TOMATOES.—To stimulate earliness, which is a 
most desirable quality in the tomato, the most nearly 
perfect fruit should be selected from plants that show 
a tendency to ripen a goodly number of fruit early, 
rather than the first fruit of plants that are heavy 
yieldcrs. Select only fruit that are perfect in form, 
without any defect on blossom end. Allow them to 
stand after picking until thoroughly ripe, then cut cross¬ 
wise so that the seed cells are exposed. The cells 
should be few and small, the walls thick. Avoid a 
hard green core. The core should be as ripe and soft 
as the walls. Having selected such specimens, squeeze 
out pulp and seed in a wooden vessel, and allow it to 
decompose in the sun for a few days, then add a quan¬ 
tity of water and stir thoroughly, when the seed will 
sink and the refuse can be poured off. Wash seed un¬ 
til no coloring matter remains. The seed can then be 
dried in the sun in a few hours. 
BIENNIALS are those vegetables producing seed 
the second year. Beets, parsnips, carrots and turnips 
should be kept in pots or the cellar until time of plant¬ 
ing. For beets, select specimens that are uniform and 
true to type. Avoid all irregular deformed specimens. 
As a dark blood-red is desirable in the beet, a small 
plug can be taken out of each specimen when planted 
in the Spring, and only those that have the desired color 
should be planted. The seed is allowed fully to mature 
before cutting. Avoid cutting top so close as to in¬ 
jure crown; it is much better to twist off 
the tops of roots that are to be saved for 
seed. Keep roots in a temperature that 
will prevent growth during Winter for 
best results. For parsnips select speci¬ 
mens with a broad crown and short root. 
CELERY.—Celery can be kept over in 
trenches. When set out for seed only 
vigorous specimens should be selected; 
subsequent treatment same as for carrots, 
CABBAGE.—Cabbage is a crop that 
requires some skill to select, and the 
grower of seed should choose only such 
specimens as are true to the type desired. 
Avoid a leafy head, that is, one showing 
a tendency to grow an abundance of 
leaves with small head. Make the selec¬ 
tion from specimens having the fewest 
leaves; the plants should be gathered be¬ 
fore severe freezing, and stored in any 
manner to prevent the roots from drying 
too much, or the heads from rotting. The 
plants are set in early Spring and the 
heads cut (see lettuce) as soon as growth 
begins in the Spring. It is claimed that a 
superior seed can be raised if the side 
shoots are broken off and only the center 
stalk allowed to form seed, thus avoiding such 
bud variations as may occur if the numerous side 
shoots are permitted to produce seed. If early cabbage 
is the desired variety the seed should be sown later 
in the season, so that the stock will be in better con¬ 
dition to store. The seed stalk is cut when pods begin 
to ripen, the whole dried and thrashed, and then thor¬ 
oughly cleaned. 
ONIONS.—Select for seed specimens that have the 
desired type, with a small neck, and are perfectly 
round. An onion of large size has a tendency to pro¬ 
duce two or more seed 'stalks, and will generally pro¬ 
duce seed that will increase the number of scallions 
or thick-necks; therefore it is advisable to select only 
onions of medium size, and in no way deformed or 
thick-necked. Onions for seed should be kept in a 
cool place until Spring, then set in rows 12 to 14 inches 
apart, three inches apart in the row. When the first 
seed pods in the cluster will shell out the seed is fit to 
cut. Cut about eight or L0 inches of the stalk with seed 
ball and dry in the shade on sheets. When thor¬ 
oughly dry the seed can be rubbed out between the 
hands; then the seed and husk can be sifted through a 
sieve having a Rs-inch mesh. The seed can then be 
put in water, when the good seed will sink and the 
chaff can be poured off. The seed should be imme¬ 
diately dried and put away, John jeannin, jr. 
APPLE PICKING IN PENNSYLVANIA. Fig. 307. See Page 728. 
