Australian and New Zealand Gardening: TEA ROOM # 22, 1 by Stake

Stake wrote:
G'Day All
I keep my seed in screw top jars or screwtop medicine bottles, the small plastic ones. The size depends on the size of the seeds and quantity. The seed must be properly dry before sealing, which is seldom a problem here, just lay them out on a piece of newspaper in the sun.
A long time ago I thought I had grown a new variety of tomato, seed was saved from a variety known as "Burnley Gem" which at the time was a good variety. The new one turned out to be no better than the parent, so that was the end of it. Recently I found a jar of seeds in the shed dated 1983 and as I was very dissapointed with the flavour of modern tomatoes I thought i'd have a go at growing the old variety. I got about 50% germination which I thought was pretty good for 20 year old seed that had just been dried and stored in a screw top jar. To my disappointment I soon found out why the researchers had bred the new varieties. None of my old tomatoes reached maturity they succumbed one after another to various Tomato diseases.
Photo is the "Loveday Lovely" the new tomato.