48 FARM AND GARDEN SEED 



Reasons for Testing. Attention is called to impurities in 

 seeds during the testing operation. Foreign inert matter is then 

 more easily detected. The vitality or germinating power of the 

 seeds can be determined in no better way. 



Why Know the Germinating Power. The grower who knows 

 the germinating power of seeds before sowing time may be able to 

 save the money which he would otherwise throw away in buying 

 poor lots of seed. 



He will save the time and labor expended in planting seeds 

 which will not grow. 



He will save the labor necessary for re-planting those parts of 

 the field where there would be a poor stand of the crop. 



He will save something in the amount of seed used in planting 

 the field. 



A poor and uneven stand of the crop is avoided if seed with 

 strong and even germination is planted at the beginning. 



He will have a more uniform and evenly maturing crop at 

 harvest time. This means a better paying crop. 



Testing of Seed Corn. A seed analyst can never give the 

 grower the information desired regarding the germinating power 

 of corn. The grower should know the percentage of germination 

 for the kernels on each ear of corn. A wide variation is found 

 among the ears in any lot of seed corn. Probably no two rows in 

 a field are of the same degree of maturity. After test of each ear 

 is made those showing poor germination may be discarded entirely, 

 and used for stock feed. As each ear may contain from 700 to 

 1000 kernels the removal of such a number with low germinating 

 power is important and very easy. 



Methods of Testing Ear Corn. Number the ears of corn on 

 small cards or bits of paper by thrusting a slender nail through 

 the paper and into the large end of the cob. Arrange all the ears 

 of seed corn in some systematic way on shelves or in racks or by 

 suspending them as shown in the chapter on corn. 



The Rag Doll Method of testing ear corn is described as follows 

 by the Illinois Station: 



"In preparing to make this test, secure sheeting of a good 

 quality and tear into strips from eight to ten inches wide and three 

 to five feet long. Where these are to be used very much it is well 

 to hem the edges, as otherwise the ravelings sometimes disarrange 

 the kernels in unrolling. Each cloth should then be marked with a 

 heavy pencil, first lengthwise in the middle and then crosswise, 

 making squares about three inches wide. 



