COMPARISON OK METHODS OF STOKING AND SHIPPING. 61 



Pansy and [)lilox have been considered together, since their behav- 

 ior was ahnost the same. Both of the controls deteriorated to a con- 

 siderable de«;rec durin^- the 123 da3^s which elapsed between the time 

 of the iirst and the second test, pansy losinjr 15.87 per cent and phlox 

 21.88 per cent. In both cases the mean loss in vitality of the seeds in 

 the envelopes was very great. The results of the second tests show a 

 loss of 84.91 per cent for pansy, and 85.86 per cent for phlox where 

 stored under trade conditions. In dry rooms there was a mean loss 

 of 53.57 per cent for pansy and (36.78 per cent for phlox, and in base- 

 ments a loss of 81:. 76 per cent for the pansy and 7U.45 per cent for the 

 phlox. These results are o])tiiined ])y considering,^ the second test of 

 the control as a standard, the depreciation of the control beinjr dis- 

 regarded. Some samples were dead and many more were of no eco- 

 nomic value. It is especially interesting to note how cjuickly the seeds 

 died at Mobile, Ala., there being only a few germina])le seeds at the 

 end of 140 days. 



The behavior of the seeds in the bottles was more or less variable. 

 Some of the pansy seeds showed a higher vitality than the control, l)ut 

 the averages were somewhat lower, the mean loss ranging from 15.60 

 per cent under trade conditions to 27.49 per cent in basements, while 

 with the phlox the means for trade conditions and for basements were 

 higher than the control by 8.27 and 10.39 per cent, respectively. 



T.\BLE XXIII. — Percentages of germination of tomato subjected to various conditions of 



storage in different localities. 



