13 



As regards the value of seed separation, Mr. E. N. Foote, an 

 extensive onion grower of Northampton, Mass., writes : 



" I had S3 3^ of ^11 the seed I bought blown out, which I consider 

 was the best investment I ever made in the onion business. I want 

 to follow the same lines this year. As I sow 25 acres the blown-out 

 seed is quite an item, but it pays." 



TABLE V. 



SHOWING THE STANDARD OF GERMINATION OF SOME SEEDS. 



Kind of seed. 



Percentage 

 germination. 



Kind of seed. 



Percentage 

 germination. 



S^et/ Work at the Station. 



During the past two years a great many samples of onion and 

 tobacco seed have been separated by this Department for farmers. 

 The percentage of discarded onion seed from a number of samples 

 separated averages 12.6^ ; that of 85 samples of tobacco seed, i5.5'/r. 

 Only 2^ was discarded from the best tobacco seed, and from the 

 poorest sample 37fr. In the case of onion seed i.67c was discarded 

 from the best sample and 43^^ from the poorest. 



Germination tests have been made of 373 samples during the past 

 two years. The average percentage of germination of onion seed 

 was 82.5, the highest loo^ ; and the lowest 28^f. The standard of 

 germination for onion is held to be 75-80^. For germination tests 

 200 seeds are generally used, the tests being largely made in Zurich 



