26 PRODUCTIVE FARMING 



5. The first planting being made with good seed will give 

 us a good even stand at the proper season, instead of too late. 



6. This means a better harvest and good return for labor 

 expended in cultivation through the season. 



Methods of Testing Seeds. When seeds are to be tested 

 they must be given proper moisture, warmth, and air; these 

 must not change much during the test. A warm living room 

 is about right if the moisture is held close about the seeds. 



A common way is to take two lots of one hundred seeds 

 each; these are planted in a shallow box of moist sand. 



Another good way to test seeds is to place them in pans 

 or deep plates between wet blotters or layers of wet cloth 

 (Fig. 12). The plates are placed one above another as high 

 as desired. A label is made for each lot of seeds by using 

 pencil and paper, thus: 



Date February 10. 



Number of seeds 100 



Kind '. . . Red clover 



Number sprouted 90 



Per cent of good seed 90 



Folds of wet cloth may be made. A lot of seeds with its 

 label is placed in each fold. This is carefully placed in a cov- 

 ered pan in a warm place. If a hundred seeds are taken each 

 time, the per cent of germination is more exactly expressed. 



EXERCISE. Test Seeds. Have grains and garden seeds 

 brought to school. Have them counted, labeled, and tested 

 by each method described here. Winter and early spring 

 are good times to make such trials with seeds. 



EXERCISE. Size of Seeds. From a large package of 

 radish seeds, select 100 of the largest, and another 100 of 

 the smallest. Make sprouting tests of these two lots, by 

 planting them in a shallow box of moist sand or soil. Keep 

 them in separate rooms, and label them. Does the result 

 show that gardeners should select large seeds? Could this 

 be done with sieves? 



