58 



THE VITALITY AND GERMINATION OP^ REEDS. 



TABLE XIX. Percentage of germination of lettuce subjected to various conditions of 



storage in different localities. 



[Germination of control sample: First test, 81.6 per cent; second test, 92.3 per cent.] 



The lettuce has shown no very marked deviation from the controls, 

 save the seeds from the packages kept at Mobile, and those which were 

 stored in basements in envelopes at Baton Rouge and Lake City. 

 The average results of the second series of tests show a similar loss in 

 vitality of all of the seeds from the envelopes. The samples of seed from 

 the bottles germinated practically as well as the controls. The results 

 of the first series of tests are not entirely satisfactory, none of the 

 tests having gone to standard. The low germination of the lettuce in 

 this series was due to inability to properly control the temperature in 

 the germinating pans. The proper temperature for the successful 

 germination of lettuce seed is 20 C., while in this first series the ger- 

 mination tests were unavoidably made at 26 to 27.5 C. Neverthe- 

 less, this seeming objection is of little consequence, since all of the 

 results are directly comparable with the control. 



