62 



THE VITALITY AND GERMINATION OF SEEDS. 



The tomato seed, a« shown in Tables V and XXV, was the most 

 resistant to the unfavorable conditions of storage. The seed in the 

 bottles was not injured at an}^ of the places. The lowest germination 

 was 91.5 per cent from the seed kept in a dr}^ room at Ann Arbor, 

 Mich. The seed in the envelopes gave a much wider variation, falling 

 quite low in some of the samples which were stored in the basements. 

 The average losses in vitality for the entire series of the second set of 

 seeds which were kept in envelopes were as follows: Trade conditions, 

 5.20 per cent; dry rooms, 3.29 per cent; basements, 13.68 per cent. 

 The average percentage of germination of the seed which was kept in 

 the bottles differed from the control less than one-half of 1 per cent. 



Table XXIV. — Percentage of germination of watermelon subjected to various conditions 



of storage in different localities. 



[Germiuatioii of*ontrol sample: First test, 95.5 per cent; second test, 99 per cent.] 



Place of storage. 



Lake City, Fla . 

 Do 



Auburn, Ala . 

 Do 



Mobile Ala... 

 Do 



Baton Rouge, La. 

 Do 



San Juan, P. R... 

 Do 



Wagoner, Ind. T. 

 Do 



Durham, N. H 

 Do 



Ann Arbor, Mich . 

 Do 



Average percentage of ger- 

 mination. 



Average pecentage of loss 

 in vitality. 



Order of 

 tests. 



Num- 

 ber of 

 days in 

 storage. 



First.... 

 Second . 



First....! 

 Second . 



First 



Second . 



First 



Second . 



First.... 

 Second . 



First....! 

 Second .! 



First....! 



Second .! 



First t. 



Second 



129 

 234 



102 

 275 



1-10 

 262 



121 



247 



131 



Percentage of germination. 



Trade condi- 

 tions. 



Envel- 

 opes. 



126 

 238 



147 

 251 



jFirst 



[Second . 



[First 



(Second . 



128 

 251 



128 

 251 



98 

 92 



94 



86 



98 

 64 



100 

 92 



96 



88 



98 

 94 



98 



82 



100 

 96 



Bottles. 



97.75 



86.75 



96.2 



94 

 100 



98 

 96 



98 

 98 



100 

 100 



98 

 98 



98 

 96 



100 

 100 



98 

 98.02 



0.56 

 12. 37 



0.31 

 0.99 



Dry rooms. 



Envel- 

 opes. 



96 

 86 



96 

 98 



98 

 68 



96 

 86 



Bottles. 



98 



98 



98 



100 

 96 



100 

 100 



98 



100 



98 



94 

 96 



100 

 96 



98 

 92 



94 

 92 



96.86 

 88.67 



98.29 

 96 



Basements. 



Envel- 

 opes. 



98 

 70 



99 

 94 



80 

 



98 

 20 



Bottles. 



100 

 94 



100 

 96 



100 

 100 



98 

 100 



96 

 88 



98 

 94.1 



98 

 100 



95.29 

 77.70 



1.47 

 10.44 



0.01 

 3.03 



3.06 

 21. 52 



98 

 98 



96 



98 



96 

 96 



98.29 

 97. 43 



0.01 

 1.59 



What has been said of the tomato seed is practically true for the 

 watermelon, save that there was a greater loss in vitality in the latter, 

 when seeds were kept in envelopes. The average percentage of ger- 

 mination of the second tests was 86.75 per cent for trade conditions; 

 88.67 per cent for diy rooms; and 77.7 per cent for basements, or a 

 loss in vitalitv of 12.37, 10.44: and 21.52 percent, respectively, as com- 

 pared with the vitality of the control sample, which germinated 99 

 per cent. 



An examination of the foregoing set of tables will show that in 

 most cases the deterioration was comparatively slight during the first 

 128 days. Yet even during this short period the losses in vitalit}^ 

 were very marked in some of the more critical localities, particularly 



