EXERCISE I 



COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SEED-TESTERS 



Material. Dinner plates, blotters, canton flannel, germinating 

 cups, tile germinator, Geneva seed-tester, germinating chamber. 



Seed-testers are used for the purpose of testing the vitality of 

 seeds. They differ greatly, and their efficiency varies with the 

 kind. Study carefully four kinds. 



1. The dinner-plate germinator consists of two large-sized 

 dinner plates, one turned over the other, between which are two 

 or three blotters covered with two pieces of canton flannel. 

 Make a drawing showing the two plates and the inside material. 

 The drawings should be at least three inches in diameter. Describe 

 fully. Label all parts and describe the materials of which it is 

 made. What can you say about the efficiency of this tester ? 



2. Germinating cups are small earthen cups three inches in 

 diameter or three inches square and one and one-half inches 

 deep, covered with a lid of the same size and shape as the top of 

 the cup, in which are a number of small holes. Make a drawing, 

 natural size, of a germinating cup and lid. Label, and give the 

 dimensions on the drawings. Describe how the seeds can be 

 germinated in this vessel. The cups must be placed in a shallow 

 pan of water. Discuss the purpose of this procedure. 



3. The tile germinator is a large tile twelve inches wide by 

 fifteen inches long and two inches deep, in which have been 

 molded pockets of varying sizes from one inch to three inches 

 in diameter. This tester is placed in a shallow pan of water the 

 same as the germinating cups. Make a drawing of the top view 

 and a cross section, showing the number, size, and the depth of 

 pockets. What advantage, if any, has this tester over the previ- 

 ous one? Give the exact dimensions on your drawing. Make 

 the drawing two by three inches. How does the moisture get 

 to the seeds ? Discuss fully how you would germinate seeds in 

 this tester. A pane of glass is usually placed over the top of 

 the tester. What is the purpose of the glass ? Give your opinion 

 as to the value derived from its use. 



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