TESTING VITALITY OF SEEDS. 25 



day. Each day an examination should be 

 made and those seeds which have germinated 

 should be recorded and removed. For prac- 

 tical purposes, two weeks is a sufficient time 

 for the test. The results obtained may be con- 

 sidered as representing the per cent, of vitality 

 under favourable conditions." 



3. " Grass seeds require as much as three 

 weeks, and seeds of some trees a still longer 

 time. Beet balls contain from 3 to 7 seeds. With 

 very small seeds it may be necessary to provide 

 for the circulation of air by placing small pieces 

 of wood between the layers of cloth among the 

 seeds. With most varieties of garden plants 

 the majority of seeds should germinate within 

 a few days after the first sprout appears. If 

 the period of germination extends over a longer 

 time it shows that the vitality of the seed is low. 

 Seeds of the carrot family and some melon 

 .seeds may not show as high results in the 

 germinating dishes as they do in the ground," 



4. In good sound seeds the following 

 numbers per cent, should germinate^ : 



Beans 90 to 95 Melon 80 to 90 



Beet* 150 Mustard 90 95 



fa} From Year Book, U. S. Department of Agriculture 1886. 

 *Each beet fruit or " ball" is likely to contain from 3 to 7 

 seeds. One hundred balls should give at least 150 sprouts. 



