SEEDS. 105 



The long winter months will give ample opportunity for 

 close examination of the seed, and if any of it be found of 

 inferior quality, as will not infrequently prove to be the case, 

 there will be plenty of time to replace it with a desirable 

 article. In all cases seed should be bought of the most re- 

 liable seedsmen. In many instances it will pay to get seed 

 from the large dealers, as they have first-class opportu- 

 nities for handling the very best seed in the country. The 

 extra cost for carriage will be a small item compared with 

 the chance for obtaining good seed. 



No matter from what source the seed is obtained, nor 

 how reliable the dealer, every farmer should test each lot 

 of seed he expects to plant. Besides learning its quality, 

 he will often obtain valuable information concerning the 

 depth, temperature, and amount of moisture needed, etc. 

 Furthermore, if the seed fails to come up well, the planter 

 will have some intelligent data for ascertaining the reason, 

 and will not be obliged to depend entirely upon the state- 

 ment of seed catalogues, which convey the impression that 

 failure to germinate is more likely to be the fault of the 

 outdoor conditions than of the seed itself. 



Good seed is marked by three characteristics : purity — 

 or freedom from foreign matter, whether seeds of weeds 

 or other plants ; vitality — or capacity for sprouting under 

 favorable conditions ; and genuineness — or trueness to 

 name. If any of these qualities be lacking, the seed is un- 

 worthy of general trial. 



Purity. — Most vegetable seeds, especially if grown in 

 America, are quite free from admixture. Seed of the cab- 

 bage family, however, if grown abroad, and sometimes 

 that of American origin, may contain a mixture of wild 

 mustard or similar seed, often so near like the good seed 

 as to be almost indistinguishable from it. 



Clover and grass seed is very likely to contain more or 

 less seed of noxious weeds or inferior grasses ; hence a 

 careful purity test is necessary in such cases. Hairy vetch 

 and other leguminous forage seeds, excepting the clovers, 

 generally come from Europe and are frequently impure. 

 Often it will require considerable care to detect impurities 



