— 71 — 



V. There appears to be no pernicious adulteration of garden 

 seeds in this country, and, as a rule, there are no hurtful impur- 

 ities. 



In the ordinary farmer's garden seed-testing is perhaps of little 

 or no value, but to the market gardener, who plants considerable 

 areas to special crops, and to the seedsman, it is highly profitable. 

 It is possible that in some ca.ses the character of the crop can be 

 prognosticated with some degree of certainty from behavior of 

 plants in germination, wholly aside from percentages of sprouting. 

 The studies of experts in this country and Germany indicate that 

 when accurate information is desired as to the value of seeds, the 

 seed-test should present at least the following data : Name of vari- 

 ety ; where grown ; when grown ; how kept ; per cent, by weight 

 of foreign matter ; per cent, bj- weight of apparently good seeds ; 

 nature of foreign material ; weight of seeds ; manner of testing ; 

 number tested ; average and extreme temperatures during trial ; 

 first germinations in hours ; last germinations in hours ; per cent, 

 by number germinated ; per cent, unsprouted but sound at end of 

 trial ; date of test ; estimate of agricultural value. 



Iv. H. BAILEY. 



