We Prepare for Seeding 



This trip seemed hardly necessary, but as Bob 



offered to drive me to F and fetch me, I 



undertook to go, though, as it afterwards proved, 

 we might have bought our seed by sample, and 

 so saved the expenses of the journey, which a 

 new-comer should bear in mind are heavy, and 

 apt to run away with many dollars. 



I was further encouraged to go as we also needed 

 seed oats, and it was especially desirable these 

 should be of good, sound quality. It is very 

 important that oats for seed should not have 

 been even slightly frozen, as it is said they will 

 not grow when that has been the case, while 

 wheat, if but slightly touched by frost, may still 

 make fairly good seed. For myself, however, 

 I believe the quality of grain for seed cannot 

 be too high; for, admitting that germination will 

 take place, it is surely important that this should 

 happen quickly and uniformly over a field, and 

 in testing samples I have found that where the 

 grains were not first-rate, though a large per- 

 centage eventually grew, they seemed to ger- 

 minate in a slow and irregular manner, while 

 a really good sample sprang up quickly and re- 

 gularly. I am not aware of the most scientific 

 method of testing seed, but have usually done 

 it by planting, say, a hundred grains, in rows of 

 ten, in an inch or so of soil in a shallow box very 



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