EXPERIMENT STATION. 99 



varies considerably from year to year with the character of the 

 reason. For instance, the season of 1882 is said to have been an 

 extremely bad one for raising seed in Michigan, and it is seen 

 that the Michigan grown seed of that year is very light and 

 sprouts poorly. 



It is held by some growers that onion seed more than a year 

 old raised in a favorable season gives a better crop than seed 

 raised a year later in a poor season. 



The average weight of 1000 onion seed, as found in 79 samples 

 representing 14 "varieties" grown in different sections of the 

 country, was 3.773 grams. The maximum weight was 4.493 

 grams ; the minimum, 2.605 grams. From these figures we may 

 compute the number of seeds per pound which is, in round num- 

 bers — 



Average number of onion seed in the pound 1 2,000 



Maximum number of onion seed in the pound 17,400 



Minimum number of onion seed in the pound 10,000 



The California grown onion seed seems to be smaller than 

 eastern grown, and it has been found considerably lighter in all 

 cases where it has been tested. To illustrate, the average weight 

 of 1000 seeds of Wethcrsfield large red onion, Connecticut grown, 

 in 16 trials was 3.95 grams; Michigan grown, 3 trials, 4.16 

 grams; California grown, 3 trials, 2.95 grams. White Portugal 

 onion, Connecticut grown, 4 trials, 3.901 grams ; California 

 grown, 3 trials, 2.818 grams. Danvers yellow onion, Connecticut 

 grown, 11 trials, 3.786 grams; New York grown, 5 trials, 4.236 

 grams; California grown, 3 trials, 3.23 4 grams, etc., etc. 



The temperature most suitable for the germination of onion 

 seed in laboratory tests has been made the subject of experiment. 

 Haberlandt* has observed the germinating power of 56 species 

 of seeds and the rapidity of their germination at 62°, 77°, 89°, 

 100°, 111°, 122° F., but onion seed was not among the number. 

 In each trial made at this station three lots of two hundred seeds 

 each were placed in three sprouting beds of the kind described 

 below, and left to germinate at 51°, 60° and 85° F., respectively. 

 These temperatures were not entirely constant, but the fluctua- 

 tions were inconsidei-able. A maximum and minimum thermom- 

 eter stood with each apparatus, and the figures given are the 

 average temperature. From time to time the seeds already 

 sprouted were counted and removed. 



* Landvvirthsch, Versuchs-Statiouen, xvii, 104. 



