VITALITY OF SEED. 



The United States Experiment Station Record, 

 Vol. VI, No. 5, gives in a tabular form the result of 

 an eleven years ' test of the duration of the vitality 

 of some agricultural seeds made by S. Samck, from 

 which the following is taken. Well matured seed 

 was selected, a portion of which was examined each 

 year from 1883 to 1894. The unused portions were 

 kept in paper bags in a dry airy room and seeds 

 taken from them each succeeding year for the test. 



It will be seen that in the first year of the experi- 

 ment, out of 100 seeds of alfalfa planted, 94 germi- 

 nated; of the same number of red clover, 90 germi- 

 nated ; of alsike, 73 ; of white clover, 74 ; of timothy, 

 95 ; of orchard grass, 46 ; while in the eleventh year 

 but 54 out of the 100 seeds of alfalfa grew, 2 of red 

 clover, 3 of alsike, 22 of white clover, and none of 

 either timothy or orchard grass. According to these 

 figures, age does not affect the vitality of alfalfa 

 seed so much as it does the other seeds used in the 

 experiment. No observations, however, were made 

 by the experimenter regarding the strength of the 

 plants from the old seed as compared with those 

 from the new seed, 



(475) 



