1 9 1 5 ] ROSE— DEL A I ED GERMINA TION 44 1 



fungi. This point was determined for each kind of seed not more 

 than two days after the test began. All filter paper was boiled 

 5-10 minutes before being used and kept moist with distilled 

 water during the test. Repeated washing of seeds and removal 

 to fresh filter paper showed that in all cases infection came from the 

 seeds, not from the paper. 



There is no intention here of implying that seedsmen in general 

 purposely put on the market seeds low in vitality or badly infected 

 with fungi. It does seem clear, however, that there is need of 

 closer supervision by the seedsmen themselves of all stages of the 

 process of seed production; alternation of crops to avoid soil- 

 infection, cultivation, harvesting, threshing, cleaning, storage; 

 all of these need close attention if seed of the best quality is to be 

 produced. The most candid way in which to approach the whole 

 question is to admit that seed analysts, seed-growers, and seed 

 merchants do not at present know a number of things they need 

 to know in reference to the question of fungus infection of seeds, 

 and to all the other questions considered in this paper. The whole 

 matter constitutes an extremely complex physiological and patho- 

 logical problem, with very practical aspects, the solution of which 

 can be brought about only by careful study from several different 

 points of view. To be specific, the following lines for investigation 

 may be suggested : 



1. The relation of germinator tests to the actual vegetation of 

 seeds in the soil. This should be studied through a period of several 

 years. 



2. The relation of fungi on or inside of seeds to the germination 

 of such seeds in soil. At the risk of seeming to repeat unnecessarily, 

 the writer wishes to say that in his opinion the importance of this 

 problem is only poorly appreciated in this country. Some recog- 

 nition of the dangers accompanying fungus infection of seed has 

 appeared of late in the work of Bolley and others in the United 

 States, and in German agricultural literature. Appel (i), writing 

 on the relation of pathology to seed control, says that in seed- 

 testing stations, pains should be taken to give judgment as to the 

 presence of spores of plant diseases on seeds to be examined. 

 It is his opinion, further, that in comparative field tests more 



