Melody, I assume you've grown those kinds of seeds before, and know what they normally look like. Is there any chance that they've been exposed to a low dose of herbicide of some kind? I occasionally hear stories of deformed plants due to a bad batch of municipal compost or even a bad batch of commercial potting soil tainted with some kind of persistent herbicide. No way to really confirm those stories, but a low dose of some herbicides (2,4-D overspray for example) can cause curly growth, and it's easy to believe that some species would be more sensitive than others. If the potting mix is tainted, the only thing you could do is wash all the old medium off the seedlings and transplant them into some new mix. Alex

I hope to see a few cherries here on a small tree I planted last year. Its the sour cherry, montmorency type. Almost didn't come out of dormency until mid July, when it finally started to branch out and get more leaves. My dad was partial to bing cherries and right now, they do sell them, but they come from Chili. He decided to stew some in booze. He filled a jar with the bings and poured in some VO whiskey. They are still in my fridge and have remained there for well over 20 years now. No signs of any spoilage, and I would expect them to be quite mellow by now. Bings are nice for fresh eating, but not as well suited for canning or pie making, because they don't hold up as well as sour types.

For large scale seed extraction of chile peppers I use this process. Pick fruit only when fully ripe or just past ripe. De-stem and cut in half. Place in a tall glass or plastic container and mash down. Only fill half way. Cover with water (Not city water) to just over the top of the mash. Cover top of container and let sit 7-10 days. Give a stir once or twice a week. The mash should ferment and "boil". This does two things. Brakes down the pulp and helps kill some seed bourn diseases. Use a potato masher on the end of a long stick and mash the mash to help separate the seed from the pulp. Fill the container with water and stir. the seeds will settle to the bottom. Pore off the pulpy liquid and refill with water again. Do this until the water is clear. The seeds that do not sink fast are not worth keeping so don't worry about losing light weight seeds. Pour water and seeds into a large sieve or screen to capture seed. let sit and drain well. Spread wet seeds on paper towels or news paper in a thin layer to dry. Changing the paper and a slow speed fan speeds drying. Let dry for at least one week or longer before bulking together. Seeds can mold if dried to slow or not enough before bulking. This processcan also be done on a small scale using 1/2 gallon caning jars. Enjoy the heat, Uncle Steve Here is a link that might be useful: Uncle Steve's HOT Stuff

My grandmother would have said, "goot ottical". Pity the poor typist like me that typically types every 3rd word 3-4 times. A complicated random combination becomes a nightmare. Example: Original of above sentence: Pity the prro typist like me that typesd the woprds secverakl toinwes be forea geting it corrent I've come to accept my disability but a complicated password becomes a chore beyond all. As a student typist in my prime (age 12) I was able to achieve 10 words per minute ---before mistakes. Wouldn't let us look at the keys. One of my sisters was a professional piano player and she looked at the key board. Why couldn't I look at the stupid typewriter? I can, however, type my name and address to beat hell. Some years ago we had a visitor I didn't want to see. Wife told em I was busy and I sat at my desk typing name-n-address over repeatedly; on a real type writer. Clatter clatter clatter bing thunk. The ruse workrd. Uh. workt? )^)&**(&^%!!!