64 Nature-Study Agriculture 



end of the cloth over to cover the seeds. Place the 

 folded cloth in a plate and turn over it another plate 

 to prevent too rapid evaporation. Set it in a warm place 

 and examine daily to remove all seeds that have sprouted. 

 If as many as ninety seeds out of one hundred germinate, 

 the seed may be considered fairly good. (Exp. i.) 



Storing If seeds are properly selected and cared for at harvest, 



and if they are properly stored till planting time, there 

 will be little trouble in getting them to germinate. 



Most seeds should be kept dry until planting time, 

 but those of apples, pears, peaches, and cherries, which 

 are inclosed in a juicy fruit, should not be allowed to 

 become dry after being removed from the fruit. If 

 they remain dry long, the embryo dies. Such seeds 

 should either be planted immediately or be kept damp 

 until time to plant. They may be mixed with damp 

 sand, put in a bag, and kept in a place so cool that they 

 will not germinate until planting time ; or they may be 

 layered in sand. To layer seeds, cover the bottom of 

 a box with damp sand ; lay a cloth over this, and place 

 a layer of seeds on the cloth; cover the seeds with 

 another cloth, and on this place a new layer of damp 

 sand. Proceed in this manner until the box is filled 

 with alternate layers of seed and sand. Keep the' box 

 in a cool place. 



Why seed Seed corn should be kept in a cool, dry place. If it is 

 allowed to absorb moisture or is not thoroughly dried 

 after gathering, the moisture will freeze in the kernel 

 and kill the germ. When the kernels are very dry, there 

 is little danger that they will be damaged by freezing. 

 A good way to store seed corn is to remove the husks 



