64 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



those who have made a study of the si;bject, to warrant the adop- 

 tion of certain standards below which good seed ought not to fall. 



As to the vitality of seed, it may be coulidently stated that, 

 with possibly a very few exceptions, the germinating power of all 

 cultivated seeds deteriorates after the first or second year, and 

 after three or four years, often after the first, this deterioration 

 is usually very marked. In a few cases, such as ciicurbits and 

 flax, it is commonly supposed that seed of two or three years 

 from harvesting is better than fresh. Dr. Wittmack says that the 

 common grass seeds, if properly kept, retain their vitality two or 

 even three years, although, as with clover, one year seed is pref- 

 erable. He might have added, " if fully ripe when harvested," 

 since most grass seed contains a large per cent of immature 

 grains ; a difiiculty which is entirely unavoidable in many 

 cases. Hard-coated seeds, such as the clovers and their allies, if 

 kept in a dry place, usually retain tlieir vitality better than seeds 

 of a softer consistency. 



Many vegetable seeds lose their vitality in a short time. Here, 

 as in the case of all seeds, great variation exists. For example, 

 in a large series of tests of vegetable seeds made by Professor 

 Goff at Geneva, N.Y., in 1886, it was found that " two germina- 

 tions of turnip seed seven years old gave ninety-eight per cent of 

 growth, equaling the result to be expected from fresh seed ; one 

 sample nine years old, gave sixty-two per cent." But in the 

 majority of instances, the old seed failed to come up well. 



It is not necessary to take into account at all the supposed 

 limits of vitality of the different varieties of seed in considering 

 the subject of seed control. What matters it to the gardener if 

 the highest authority in the world tells him that cucumber seed 

 will germinate when it is ten years old, and the seedsman satis- 

 fies him that the seed is within that limit ? As before stated, 

 the only guarantee worth anything to the buyer is the result of 

 an actual test made by a disinterested and competent person. 



The necessity for seed control may be more obvious if we give 

 the results of some tests. Although comparatively little attention 

 has been paid to this subject in America, there are plenty of 

 data at hand showing tlie need of practical reform in the seed 

 trade. 



The lowest vitality and purity is found as a rule among grass 

 seeds, among which class of seeds detection of impurities is the 



