156 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I9I4. 



know the vitality as well as the purity of the seed that he is to 

 use. No matter how pure a seed may be, if half of it will not 

 sprout it has no more value than if the seed were half chaff. 



While it is not easy to make an exact purity test, it is not 

 difficult for a farmer to so acquaint himself with the seeds that 

 he is ordinarily using that by the help of an ordinary reading 

 or magnifying glass he will be able to tell whether the seed in 

 question contains any considerable amount of impurities. If 

 the seed is spread out upon a white plate, a little practice will 

 enable a farmer to see whether a given seed is reasonably pure 

 or not, and he will soon learn to detect the more common for- 

 eign seeds. 



Vitality of Seeds. 



It is much easier for the farmer to test the vitality of seed 

 than to make a purity examination. The following simple 

 instructions for performing germination tests at home without 

 any special apparatus will enable the farmer to learn for him- 

 self whether the seed that he is using has good vitality or not. 

 Germination tests may be made in two ways, — the so-called 

 blotting paper methods, and the sand method. In making the 

 germination test with blotting paper, blue blotting paper of com- 

 mon weight, cut into strips about 6 x 19 inches, should be used. 

 This is laid folded twice so as to get a piece of three thicknesses 

 and about six inches square, on an ordinary dinner plate or 

 platter. The seeds if small are placed on the top of the paper 

 and if large between the folds. The paper is kept moist (not 

 soaked) and at a temperature of 70 to 80 degrees F. 



If only a vitality test is desired the blotting paper method is 

 preferable, but if it is desired to know how many seeds may be 

 expected to grow, the sand method is in some ways preferable. 

 In this method a thin layer of fine sand is sprinkled on the 

 bottom of a flat dish and the seeds to be tested placed on it 

 under a thin covering of sand. This must be kept moist and 

 well shaded and at a somewhat higher temperature than in the 

 first case. 



At the end of every second day in the case of some seeds, and 

 the third day in the case of those germinating more slowly, the 

 sprouted seeds should be removed from the blotters or the sand 

 and counted, the per cent being readily found by referring back 



