82 SEED TESTING 



Plant the kernels in the row which represents the ear from 

 which they came. Push each kernel, point downward, just 

 far enough to be covered with soil and arrange them so that 

 there shall be one near each corner and one in the center 

 of each square. Saturate the tray with water and place it 

 in a warm place, keeping the plants moist until they are 

 one inch tall. 



Examine the squares in regular order, noting, (a) the num- 

 ber of seedlings in good condition, (6) the number in poor 

 condition, (c) the number of squares in which there were no 

 seedlings, etc. (d) If any seedling failed to come up, carefully 

 remove the sawdust and find out the cause. 



Tabulate the results. 



72. PERCENTAGE OF GERMINATION 

 Object. To learn the percentage of germination. 



Method. Make a seed tester by cutting several pieces 

 of flannel, felt, or blotting paper to fit a dinner plate. 



Sterilize the cloths by boiling them in water for five min- 

 utes and arrange them as follows : 



Place a layer of cloth on the plate. Lay one hundred 

 soaked seeds upon it. Cover them with another cloth and 

 lay a pane of glass or an inverted plate over it. Remove 

 the cover from time to time to aerate the seeds and at the 

 same time remove all seeds which have begun to germinate. 

 When no more seeds will germinate, count the number of 

 ungerminated seeds and subtract it from the original number, 

 100. This will give the percentage of germination. Thus 

 if 15 out of the hundred failed to germinate, the percentage 

 of germination would be 85. 



