46 THE CEREALS IN AMERICA 



75. Germination. — Wheat absorbs upon germination from 

 five to six times its weight of water. Various experimenters 

 have reported that dikite solutions of fertilizers and other salts 

 accelerate germination. The salts dissolved in soil water prob- 

 ably exert a favorable influence. Whether this is a physical or 

 physiological influence has not been proven, but it has been 

 shown that absorption of water goes on as rapidly in dead seeds 

 as in live ones.^ 



More concentrated solutions used to prevent smut have in 

 some instances been reported injurious. Much less injury is 

 done by soaking the seeds in the solution before sprouting than 

 by bringing the solution in contact with the young plantlet. It 

 has been shown that nitrate of soda and muriate of potash when 

 used in too large quantities or not properly distributed in the 

 soil may destroy germination, while fertilizers composed of lime 

 and phosphoric acid are much less injurious." In no case should 

 the seeds be brought in direct contact with nitrate of soda and 

 muriate of potash. 



Sachs gives the minimum and maximum temperatures at 

 which wheat will germinate as 41° F. and 108° F., and the most 

 favorable temperature as 84° F. Haberlandt reports that 

 wheat germinated at 41° F. at the end of six days, that the max- 

 imum temperature of germination was between 8S° and 100° F., 

 and that the most favorable temperature was somewhere between 

 61° to 88° F.3 



Saunders determined the viability of three varieties of wheat 

 during six years with the following average results : 80 ; 82 ; 77 ; 

 Tfj ; 15 ; 6 per cent.'* The germination ability showed a marked 

 decrease at the end of four years, and at the end of six years 

 was entirely lost in two of the three varieties. 



1 Wyo. Bui. 39, p. 44. 



2 U. S. Dept of Agr., Div. of Bot. Bui. 24. 

 8 Landw. Vers. — Stat. XVII, 104. 



^ Can. Expt. Farms Rpt. 1903, p. 44. 



