112 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



TESTING SEEDS AT CONSTANT TEMPERATURES. 



J. L. Campbell of West Elizabeth, Penn., inanufactiires an incubator or egg- 

 hatcher which is intended to run at a uniform tenipei'ature for some days. 



He made a macliine on the same plan lor testing seeds. It is heated by an 

 ordinary number two kerosene hand lamp. The room or box containing seeds 

 also contains a bind of metal fastened by each end to a board. When warm, 

 the metal expands and bends, as the two ends are stationary. This band of 

 metal is connected by a series of delicate levers with a trap door, which is 

 opened or clos-d more or less to control the draft of the lamp. 



Sometimes the tester has not been seen to vary more than one degree or two 

 in seveial days. At other times it has varied more. 



This machine, after some " tinkering," was used in making the tests men- 

 tioned below. 



I had anticipated, in particular, to test dent corn raised in Mississippi or 

 Texas for some years by the side of dent corn raised for some years in Michi- 

 gan ; but the seed from the South was more or less infested with insects, so it 

 was impossible always to tell which seeds were sound and which were unsound. 

 This test was not satisfactory, as will be seen. 



On June oOth, nine candy jars holding about two quarts each were half or 

 two-thirds filled with damp sand. Eacli jar contained twenty kernels of good 

 dent corn grown at the College on the previous year. Previous experifuents 

 showed that the corn was in good condition for germination. The tempera- 

 ture was kept at 120° F. 



In one jar seven kernels sprouted. None of the rest started. There were 

 180 kernels in all. 



This jar containing the germinating kernels stood next to the small door of 

 the box where the temperature may have been a trifle lower. 



On July 5th, in the same jars of moist sand the following seeds were tested : 

 In this case the weatiier varied considerably and the thermometer in the seed 

 box varied more than usual, — from 117° to 133° F. There were 60 kernels of 

 sound dent corn from Michigan, 50 kernels of dent corn from Mississippi, 50 

 kernels of dent corn from Texas, 100 good seeds of Turban squash, 100 

 good seeds White Spine cucumber, 50 good seeds crook-neck squash, 

 50 seeds nutmeg melon. Not one seed grew. 



On July 20th, the following seeds were tested in the manner above described 

 with the thermometer ranging from 110° to 115° F. : 



50 nutmeg melon, college seeds, all grew 100 per cent 



50 white spine cucumbers, college seeds, all failed " " 



50 turban squash, college seeds, all failed - " '^ 



50 kernels of Texas dent corn, 5 grew - 10 " " 



50 kernels of Mississippi dent corn, 11 grew 22 



50 kernels of Michigan dent corn, all grew 100 



The young seedlings in all cases soon showed signs of too great heat and died. 

 It will be interesting to notice that the dent corn of Michigan stood a higher 

 heat than the southern corn, which doubtless possessed a weak vitality. Also 

 observe that all the college seeds of melons gei'minated, that all the seeds of 

 cucumbers and turban squashes failed. Tiiere is something unsatisfactory 

 about the test. Possibly it may be in the supply of air. 



On June 26, 9 jars, each contained 20 kernels, 180 in all, of good Mich- 

 igan dent corn. Temperature 100"" F. All the kernels grew but one. 



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