762 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



pondingly. This is an individual ear test. Every seed should germi- 

 nate, thus showing viability of 100 per cent. If any of the kernels of 

 an ear fail to germinate, that ear should be discarded. If the germination 

 for any ear is weak, producing inferior sprouts or is unduly slow, the ear 

 should be rejected. The character of the sprouting should be apparent 

 in five days. 



SUMMARY. 



(1) It is important that farm seeds be tested before they are sown. 



(2) Seed testing in its essential features giving practical results can 

 be done more easily than is generally believed. 



(3) By means of a seed test the actual value of seed in question 

 as compared with seed of the best quality can be determined and 

 damage to the crop or the land due to noxious weed seeds can be avoided. 



(4) Practical seed tests can be made with simple equipment by anyone 

 interested in the purchase or use of seeds. 



(5) It is readily possible for the farmer to make practical tests of 

 seeds, thereby safeguarding against partial or complete loss of crops. 



(6) Seed testing is admirably adapted for practical exercise work in 

 elementary agriculture in rural schools. 



(7) The essential preparation for making seed tests consists of pro- 

 viding the simple apparatus necessary and of becoming familiar with the 

 general purposes and methods of testing and the features of importance 

 peculiar to tests of particular kinds of seeds. 



