कृषि-पाराशर (महर्षि पराशर - प्राचीन भारतीय कृषि, मृदा-परीक्षण, वर्षा-पूर्वानुमान व बीज-संस्कार)

KṚṢI-PARĀŚARA 79
Now the rule about the preservation of seeds
157. Collect all seeds either in the month of Māgha or in
Phālguna, and dry them up thoroughly in the sun ; do not keep
them down.
158. Having made a small packet of seeds, purge the chaff ;
seed mixed with chaff is extremely damaging to crops.
159. Seeds, which are uniform yield a plentiful harvest ; hence,
carefully make them of the same kind.
160. Having made a very tight packet, cut off the grass that
has come out. This being with grass uncut, crops become full of
grass.
161. Do not keep seeds on an ant-hill, in the cowshed, the
place where a woman has been delivered of a child, nor also in a
house having a barren woman in it.
162. Do not allow the seed to come in contact with remnant of
food, a woman in her monthly impurity, a barren woman, a woman
in the family way and a woman just delivered of a child.
163. The cultivator should not, even by mistake, keep on seeds
ghee, oil, butter-milk, lamp and salt,
So also (says) Gārgya—
164. The seed that has come in contact with a lamp, fire,
smoke, that has been damaged by rain, and has been covered up in
holes, is always to be rejected.
165. Never, even by mistake, sow the seed that is kept under-
ground and is mixed up ; the seed that is a chaff or mixed with
particles (of grains ?) becomes barren.
166. The cultivator, manure, field, bull, mass of clouds—all
these become useless when the seed is barren.
167. This rule is declared for sesamum, paddy and barley.
Therefore, take care of the seed ; the wealth of harvest depends on
seeds.
Now the procedure about sowing seeds
168. Sowing is known to be best in Vaiśākha, of middle
quality in Jyaiṣṭha, bad in Āṣāḍha and worst in Śrāvaṇa.