(e) Works treating of the anatomy, morphology, and physiology of 

 seeds, of seed growing, and seed testing; among which we recommend 

 those of Nobbe, Harz, and Settegast. 



GERMINATING CHAMBER. 



The committee adopted, with a few minor changes, the germinating 

 chamber designed by Mr. Hicks for use in the Department of Agricul- 

 ture seed labora- 

 tory. It is made 

 of 20 ounce corru- 

 gated copper and *~4_ n_*. 

 is 2 feet long, 18 

 inches deep, and 

 2 feet high, out- 

 side measure- 

 ments. The out- 

 side, except the 

 bottom, is cov- 

 ered with two lay- 

 ers of felt, each 



n e - h a 1 f inch 

 thick. 



A water space 



1 s afforded by 

 the double walls 

 which extend on 

 all sides except 

 the front and are 



2 inches apart. 

 Entrance to this 

 water jacket is 

 obtained at a, d 

 (fig. 1), while 

 the water can be 

 drawn off at g. 

 At c c, on the top, 

 and at/, near the 

 bottom of one 

 end, are 1-inch 

 openings into the 

 chamber. One of 



FIG. 1. Standard seed-germinating chamber used by the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture and American Experiment Stations (front view 

 with one door slide removed) : a, a, openings into water jacket; &, ther- 

 moregulator; c c, openings into chamber; d, gas entrance tube; e, inicro- 

 bunsen burner ;/, gas exit; g, water exit; h, ventilator; i, j, door slides; 

 k, pan to hold porous saucers, etc. ; I, blotter test ; in, porous saucers with 

 sand test. 



the upper openings may be used for the insertion of a thermometer, if 

 desired. Owing, however, to the influence which the external atmos- 

 phere exerts upon thermometers whose tubes are partly exposed, pro- 

 vision has been made for holding two thermometers in a horizontal 

 position, one on the inside of each panel of the door to the chamber, by 

 means of hooks of stout copper wire (fig. 2, a a). 



The door is made in two panels, each consisting of two plates of thick 

 glass set about one-half inch apnrt in a copper frame, which is covered 



