152 The Principles of Vegetable -Gardening 



contents of the same seed -packet. The seeds sown in the open 

 had every chance, Eain fell every alternate day. " The soil 

 was loose and loamy and well drained. 



The average experience of careful seed -growers, 

 seed -merchants, gardeners and experimenters should 

 give us, in time, a set of figures representing what 

 may be called the normal percentage of germination. 

 These figures must be the averages of years. In some 

 years all seeds are much better than in others. In 

 many cases the percentages of germination are much 

 increased by cleaning the sample, thereby eliminating 

 the weak and light seeds. Varieties of the same species 

 differ in germinating qualities. As a rule, the higher 

 bred the stock, the lower is the average viability. 



The following table is compiled from the actual experience 

 of one of the largest American seed-houses. It represents what 

 may be expected to be "good" and "fair" percentages of ger- 

 mination of first-class fresh, commercial seeds, one year with an- 

 other. In the case of beet and sea-kale, fruits, not seeds, are 

 sown, and each fruit contains one or more seeds : therefore the 

 figures are above 100 per cent. 



