SEED SAVING

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 143, 14 December 1933, Page 25

SEED SAVING

INTERESTING1 & PROFITABLE • Seed saving from the home garden is a, common practice with many gai> deners, and when judiciously done is an interesting and profitable business. There are some points, however, which should be observed and rigidly adhered to if the quality and standard of the plants is to. be maintained. The first and most important principle is never to gave seed from any plants showing signs of disease. This principle applies to every method of propagation, the disease invariably being inherited by the offspring of such plants. Never gave eeed from plants of a poor, weak constitution, but always choose those of strong, robust growth. Never perpetuate a plant . which shows inferior qualities in any way—small flowers, weak stems, a tendency to fasciate, or other undesirable qir/ities. The nun should always be to improve the i|rain, and this can only be done by careful selection and rigid elimination of anything at all inferior. Plants intended for peed should be allowed to go to seed from the first while they are in their full vigour. Better seed will result in most cases if the number of blooms is reduced. It may be observed frequently where self-sown seedlings are utilised that while the undesirable plants increase rapidly the better ones seem to produce very few seedlings, Generally this is due to the fact that the more popular blooms iiru picked, while the others are allowed to go to seed. This js ■ where elimination comes in. Any undesirable plant should be pulled out and destroyed before it has a chance of seeding. Many of the ordinary common gar Sen flowers do . not come true from seed'unless hand fertilised and covered to prevent bees and other insects from getting to them. "Where it is intended to save seed it is best to set the plant chosen aside. Mark; it distinctly and do not pick the blooms, escept to reduce the number, always allowing the main stems to go to seed. All stock seed is produced by the single flowers, the doubles not forming seed of any kind. ■ Seed should be gathered when quite ripe but before the pods burst and gathering should bo done in dry weather when the pods are quite dry. -They may then be spread out on sheets of paper or in shallow trays in a warm sunny room to mature, after which they may be rubbed out and divided from the husks. Place lft packets or paper bags, carefully marked, and store in a dry place till required for sowing.