I2IO The Cornell Reading-Courses 



A good seed tester may be made with a five-cent cake-tin. Place in 

 the bottom a fold of cotton wadding or thick woolen cloth, and over this 

 a sheet of blotting paper marked off in equal squares, which are niimbered. 

 On the squares place the seeds to be tested, numbering the ear of corn or 

 the packet of seeds to correspond with the square, and keeping in a note- 

 book a record of the marks and of the growth of the seeds. Moisten the cloth 

 and the blotting paper thoroughly and keep them moist during the test. 

 Cover with another tm or a bit of board — since seeds sprout best in the 

 dark — and keep in a waiTn place. A shallow wooden box in which about 

 two inches of damp sand or sawdust is placed beneath the nimibered 

 squares also makes a good tester. 



Seeds in a tester may be closely studied, as the cover may be lifted 

 every day and observation taken. Pupils should be required to note the 

 quality of the seeds to be tested, whether they are large or small, plump or 

 shriveled, and whether the quality makes any difference in the vigor of 

 the germ. Some gardeners sift their seeds and plant only large ones ; after 

 noting the results of their test, pupils might discuss whether or not it is 

 worth while to take so much trouble. 



A box or fiat containing soil may be used for a test of deep and shallow 

 planting, in rows side by side, of such small seeds as radish, turnip, and 

 cabbage, noting whether the germs in the deeply planted seeds seem to 

 have lost any vigor in the struggle to reach the surface. Comparisons 

 may be made, also, of the effect on the germ of leaving the soil loose above 

 the seed or of firming it down around the seed with care. Pupils should 

 observe the effect of too little or too much moisture, and of changes of 

 temperature. 



Beets, turnips, onions, and potatoes may be brought to the schoolroom 

 and sprouted in boxes of sand or in jars of water, and observations made 

 of the amount of food stored by the plant for the sake of future growth. 

 Discussions may be held as to whether or not harm is done to these vege- 

 tables by allowing them to become dried and withered before planting; 

 whether it would be best to choose seed com from a stalk bearing one 

 extraordinarily fine ear or from one bearing four or five good average 

 ears; whether potatoes from which sprouts have been removed are still 

 as good for planting as before; whether it would pay to watch the potato 

 hills when digging and choose seed from stems that were especially prolific 

 of good-sized and well-shaped tubers, rather than to take the finest seed 

 at random from the bin. 



The study of trees in winter in orchard avd wood 

 Not only is winter the best season during which to get acquainted with 

 the names and appearance of the different kinds of trees in the fields 



