168 A KITCHEN GARDEN OF ONE ACRE. 
ties of which, if he has a good strain, he can save as 
good seed as he can buy; but the greatest care should 
be used in doing so, as the quality and quantity will 
both rapidly deteriorate if inferior specimens are 
selected from which to save seed. Thus it will not 
do to take off all the best ears of corn, or the tightest 
heads of lettuce, using the nubbins and runts for 
seed, or the next year the nubbins will predominate 
and the lettuce will go to seed without taking the 
trouble to form a head at all. 
The best plan is to set apart a section of the row 
of each variety for seed, and not gather any for use 
from that part; here all the nubbins and inferior 
specimens could be pulled off, throwing the full 
strength of the plant into the finest fruits; and the 
same way with the vines; one or more hills, as 
desired, could be kept for the purpose of bearing seed 
only. 
All seeds should be thoroughly cleaned and dried, 
and each package should be carefully marked with 
name and date before storing. The seed chest 
should be in some cool place where there is no dan¬ 
ger of frost or very warm heat, and, most of all, no 
danger from dampness. It is important to have the 
date of saving the seed marked, so that when all is 
not used it may be kept, as frequently a crop fails 
from a bad season or other causes, and a new lot of 
equal merit cannot be obtained, the date serving to 
tell how good the seed is; seed of some vegetables 
retaining vitality for only two years, and others as 
long as ten years. 
