104 THE CONNECTICUT AGRICULTUEAL 



Each channel receives two hundred seeds, previously soaked 

 for six to twelve hours, and a slip of paper with the proper label 

 or number. 



The water and seeds may be emptied together into the dry 

 channel from the capsule in which they have been soaked and dis- 

 tributed evenly with the help of a wash bottle. 



Each pan will carry three tiles or twenty-seven samples of 

 «eeds. The bottom of the pan is covered with water a quarter of 

 an inch deep, the cover is put on and the apparatus placed where 

 the temperature is tolerably constant and suitable for the ger- 

 mination of the seeds under trial, 



The air in this apparatus is constantly saturated with moisture, 

 the seed bed is also saturated but can never have water standing 

 on it; the holes in the cover secure necessary ventilation, but 

 the evaporation from the porous tiles is not go rapid as to reduce 

 their temperature. These considerations and the fact that little 

 care is necessary to keep the water supply constant, have led us 

 to adopt this form of apparatus, after finding tliat the results of 

 its use closely agreed with those obtained with moist filter paper 

 as a sprouting medium. In sixty-six trials by the two methods a 

 difterence of ten per cent, or more occurred in four cases ; the 

 average difference was 0.7 per cent. 



This sprouting apparatus thus appears to give unexceptionable 

 results, and in convenience of use much surpasses any arrange- 

 ment we have hitherto met with. For use with large seeds addi- 

 tional ventilation may be needful. 



