IQISl 



ROSE— DEL A YED GERMINATION 



437 



shown by Atwood. But referring to the table again, it will be 

 seen that one sample, no. 5302, deteriorated in vigor as it grew 

 older, since it gave a percentage of 27 when first tested and n per 

 cent less 6 months afterward. Considering the results as a whole, 

 it is clear that frosted oats are unreliable in performance and of 

 very doubtful value for seeding purposes. 



Another crop which sometimes suffers from frost is garden 

 peas. Within the last two or three years the growing of garden 

 peas for seed has become an important industry in Idaho and 

 Montana. It has been found that certain of the late varieties 

 grown there are injured by frost and the viability of the seed 

 seriously impaired. 



A study of 14 samples of such peas has shown that decrease in 

 germination is probably due to two different causes, both of which, 

 however, may be the effect of frost. 



1. Actual injury to the embryo, especially the tip of the radicle. 

 It has a whitish shriveled appearance and starts to grow very 



slowly, if at all. 



J TABLE VIII 



Germination of peas 



Variety 



Premium Gem 



Nott's Excelsior 73186. . 

 " " 7153 1 . ■ 



Telephone 885H 



Gradus gi3K 



" 013S 



Dwarf Defiance 874C . . 

 S74K.. 

 874H.. 



Alderman 912S 



" 912K 



" Q^T 



912V 



Telegraph 68528 



Average 



67 



100 

 46 

 36 



2. The presence of fungi on or in the seed coat. That this 

 actually decreases germination was shown by the work summar- 

 ized in table VIII. With the coats on, the seeds of all the samples 

 here reported on showed much fungus infection; with coats off, 



