SAVED SEEDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 August 1941, Page 8

SAVED SEEDS

FEAS AND BEANS. The troublesome point about the month of July is that, although there is digging to be done, the weather and the state of the soil often hinders progress. It does more harm than is usually realised to churn up muddy soil, especially that which is of heavy texture. Anxious as one may be to get ahead with the work, it is wiser to call a halt when it cannot be done properly. Several garden owners have mentioned that peas and beans which they saved for seed and which appeared well ripened when gathered, now appear to be puffed up and feel slightly damp to the touch. That is because they have not dried thoroughly and have either been put in receptacles shutting them off from air. or have lain in some place where the atmosphere has been damp during heavy rains. The best thing to do is to spread the seeds in practically a single layer and place them on a table near an oven, sunny window or on a kitchen shelf where they will get slight warmth, but not too much fire heat and no steam. Shake the paper on which they lie, daily, to turn the seeds over. In a few days they should feel plump, hard and perfectly dry. They may then go into bags for storage until required for sowing.