138 



HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. 



[Jan . 



Five hundred seeds were then counted out from each of 

 these four grades or sizes of seeds, with the exception of 

 No. 4 (.5-.0 mm.), which was composed entirely of chaff, 

 dirt, etc. Tliese were sown in flats and allowed to grow for 

 four weeks, when the seedlings were taken up, counted and 

 weio-hed, Avith the following results : — 



Table IV. — Showi'ng the Results of Qermination and Orowlh of Seed- 

 lings from Three Exjjeriments with Sifted Lettuce Seed; 1,500 

 Seeds used, in Each Exjjeriment , making a Total of 4,500 Seeds 

 emj)loged. 



From this table it will be seen that of the large 1G.3 per 

 cent, and of the medium 13.1 per cent, more seeds germi- 

 nated than of the small seeds, and that the four-weeks-old 

 seedlings from the large seed averaged 98.42 per cent, and 

 those from the medium seed 75.09 per cent, heavier than 

 those from the small seed. It will also be noticed that the 

 differences in the per cent, of germination and the weight of 

 seedlings from the large and medium seeds were not very 

 great; l>ut the difference between the germination, and 

 especially in the weight of seedlings of the larger and small 

 seeds, is very marked. 



We are of the opinion that it would pay a grower to sepa- 

 rate his lettuce seed with a sieve having a mesh of one 

 millimeter in diameter (^2.5 inches), and to use only such 

 seed as did not pass through a sieve of this size. From 

 these plants he could make a further selection, as is custom- 

 ary at the time of transplanting. This would result in 

 saving considerable ground space which is valuable, and not 

 onlv would a more vigorous and uniform setting of lettuce be 

 olitained, but the treatment would also eliminate many weak 

 and undesirable i)lants, which are more likely to be su.s- 



