LECTURES AND ESSAYS. 427 



should be gathered when fully ripe, cleaned, carefully dried, and put away 

 where they will be safe from mice and other vermin. 



The failure of seeds to germinate is often owing to the fact they have not 

 been properly dried, as when improperly dried seeds are packed away in 

 large masses, fermentation is likely to set in, and the germs will be 

 destroyed. When exposed to frost, the effect on such seeds will also be very 

 injurious, and may be sufficient to render them utterly worthless. The 

 Ohio station has tested several hundred samples of seed-corn, cured under 

 varrious conditions, the result being that of the varieties selected in the 

 fall, either in the field or at the time of husking, and carefully dried, either 

 by spreading in thin layers or with a fire, 95 to 100 per cent germinated, 

 while of those stored in the crib and selected in the winter or spring and 

 tested at the same time, only 70 to 80 per cent germinated. The average of 

 several hundred tests of corn sent to the station by farmers who selected it 

 from their own seed-corn and forwarded it to the station to be tested for 

 them, showed a difference of seventeen per cent, in favor of the well dried 

 samples. 



After the seed has been dried it should be kept in a moderately dry place, 

 and while it is best to avoid extreme temperatures, thoroughly dried seed 

 can be subjected to a considerable range without appreciable loss. To test 

 this question, Mr. Devol of the Ohio station selected several samples of seed- 

 corn from the same lot, and after thoroughly drying them exposed them to 

 varying degrees of temperature and moisture. One lot was placed in a 

 barrel in a cellar, another was suspended over a boiler where the tempera- 

 ture often reached 100° ; a third sample was placed in a crate and covered 

 with other corn in a crib, and a fourth was hung where it was sheltered 

 from rain, but exposed to the changing temperature, and when tested in the 

 spring they germinated nearly as well as when first dried, averaging for the 

 four lots, 97 per cent against 98£ per cent, in the fall. 



The length of time during which seeds will retain their vitality varies with 

 different species and the conditions to which they are exposed. While some of 

 the tree seeds are worthless if kept dry for more than ten or twelve days, others 

 need a period of rest, and after being dried can be used at any time so long as 

 vitality lasts. Nearly all garden seeds, if properly cared for, are as good the 

 second year as the first, and when the fruits are the valuable part of the 

 crop as with melons, squashes, cucumbers, etc., seed two or three years old 

 is sometimes preferred to new seed, as the latter has a tendency to run to 

 vine rather than fruit. 



The onion and parsnip are only safe for one year, and seed that is two 

 years old should be carefully tested before it is used. Under right condi- 

 tions, from 25 to 35 per cent of four years old seed will germinate. 



Of the seeds good for two years are beans, peas, corn, rhubarb, salsify, 

 carrots, egg-plants, peppers and okra ; seeds of lettuce, asparagus, parsley, 

 spinnach and radishes are generally safe for three years ; cabbage, cauliflower, 

 celery and turnip seeds can be used when five years old, and beet, cucumber, 

 melon, squash and tomato seeds should germinate when six to eight years 

 old. 



Of course, these ages cannot be relied upon in all cases, and the only safe 

 way is to test the seeds before using them, as tomato and other seeds with 

 strong vitality if kept in a cold, damp place may not be good after the first 

 year, although 



