42 A MANUAL OF FARM GRASSES 



where it will not be too hot in the day time nor too cold 

 at night. It is best to maintain a temperature of 60 to 

 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The sand should be kept 

 saturated with water. Some seeds are likely to germi- 

 nate in 4 or 5 days but the test should be continued for 

 as much as two weeks. The seeds are removed as fast 

 as they sprout and a record kept of the number. For 

 accurate results the seed sample should be weighed and a 

 count made of the seeds to be tested. The result can 

 then be expressed in percentage of germination. How- 

 ever, a very fair estimate can be made by a small sample 

 of, say, a spoonful for the test. The seed should be 

 well mixed before the sample is taken. It is well to 

 try more than one sample so as to get an average. 



Timothy seed is usually nearly 100 per cent pure and 

 the viability is high, usually 98 per cent or more. Hence 

 it is recommended to those who are not familiar with 

 home testing that they try a sample of timothy along 

 with any other seed to be tested. This acts as a check 

 on results. Bluegrass is usually mixed with much chaff, 

 even the best grade containing 10 to 20 per cent of chaff, 

 and the viability is likely to be 65 to 80 per cent. But 

 poor grades will run much lower in both purity and 

 viability. The seed to be tested should be examined for 

 purity to see that it is not adulterated with some other 

 kind of seed. And in counting the germinating plants 

 no record should be made of plants other than the kind 

 tested. A reference to the figures of the common kinds 

 of grass seed will aid in determining purity. Orchard 

 grass, meadow fescue, and redtop should show a viability 

 of 95 per cent; brome grass of as much as 90 per cent. 



