SCANDINAVIAN SEED-CONTROL STATIONS. 9 



(4) Germination.— The three samples of 200 seeds each used for the 

 determination of the fresh weight are taken for this determination. If 

 the parallel results calculated in percentage of pure seed do not come 

 within 6 per cent a new germination test is made. For this determina- 

 tion such methods, apparatus, temperature, etc., are adopted as will 

 give the highest and most uniform results in each particular case. The 

 seed may be soaked in water for 10 minutes prior to being placed in 

 the germination apparatus. Of late years soaking has, however, gen- 

 erally been abandoned, as it has been found of no advantage in hasten- 

 ing the germination. 



The germination test is discontinued at the end of the number of 

 days given below, in case of the various kinds of seed: 



Days. 



Cabbage, radisb, mustard 8 



Spergula, barley, rye, wbeat, timothy, flax, kidney vetch, birds' 

 foot trefoil, lupine, medick, bean, pea, clover, bean vetch ( Vicia 

 faba), buckwheat 10 



Common oats, Tartarian oats, lentil, latkyrus, Orobus, vetches 



(exclusive of Vicia faba) 12 



Fioriu grass, foxtail, tall oat grass, yellow oat grass, reed canary 

 grass, Brachypodiuru, brome grass (Bromus arreusis and B. mol- 

 lis), meadow fescue, reed meadow grass, rye grass, Schedonorus, 

 esparcet, serradella, caraway, carrot, parsnip, etc 15 



Aira, sweet vernal grass, quaking grass, crested dog's tail, orchard 

 grass, lyme grass, hard fescue, giant fescue, Festuca heleropln/lla, 

 sheep's fescue, red fescue, Festuca sylratica, velvet grass, psamma 

 grass 20 



Meadow grasses ( Poa spp. ), seed of most trees 25 



Besides the germination proper, the so-called germinative energy, 

 i. e., the number of seeds germinating in certain briefer periods of time, 

 is given. These differ with different seeds, and are as follows: 



Days. 



Lucern, yellow mustard, turnips 2 



Red, white, and alsike clover, kidney vetch, ruta-baga 3 



Black medick, spurry, timothy, brome grass (Bromus arvensis and 



B. mollis) 4 



Common and Italian rye grass, florin, tall oat grass, meadow fescue . 5 

 Carrot, fodder beet, meadow foxtail, velvet grass, Kentucky blue 



grass (3 



Hard fescue, orchard grass 7 



Meadow grass (Poa spp.) 8 



In regard to the germinative energy of seed of different age Moller- 

 Holst found that Scandinavian seeds germinate better and more rapidly 

 in the spring than during the preceding fall, but as a rule the germi- 

 native energy continues to increase during the following six to twelve 

 months. As long as this is the case the seed can not properly be called 

 old, even if they have lost their brightness and color, which is apt to hap- 

 pen, particularly with white-clover seed. It was found that the germi- 

 native energy increased during five to fifteen months after the first 

 germination test was made for red clover, white clover, alfalfa, caraway, 

 barley, orchard grass, and common rye grass. 



