206 AGRICULTURE. 



ity of seeds ? Why ? What effect has the condition of 

 the parent plant upon the vitality of the seeds? 



(3) Age of Seeds. — For the success of the 

 following experiment time and patience are the 

 chief requisites. The work may be begun in 

 one class, and continued by each successive 

 class as long as any of the seeds show vitality, 

 or some stude nt may elect this work through- 

 out his school course. 



Experiment 17. — {a) To make a careful and rather 

 exhaustive study of the effect of age upon the vitality of 

 seeds, two or three hundred of each kind of farm and 

 garden seeds of the vicinity should be collected, each 

 kind placed in a large-mouthed bottle, and labeled as 

 to kind, date, and place of collection, and placed in a 

 case provided for that purpose, together with a blank- 

 book for a permanent record. 



'(b) Test each kind of seed according to Experirneni 

 15, discarding any which do not show strong vitality, 

 replacing them with new material as soon as possible, 

 and relabeling. 



{c) Repeat this test each successive year as long as 

 any seeds show vitality. 



{(i) When any sample of seeds is no longer vital, dis- 

 card the seeds and replace them with freshly tested 

 ones, labeling as at first for the use of subsequent 

 classes. 



{e) Carefully note each year the number of seeds of 

 each kind which germinate, and the time in hours re- 

 quired for their germination. 



(/) What injuries ma}'' arise from retarded germina- 

 tion ? Place your data in the permanent record, and 

 compare with the data of previous years. This record 



