50 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I908. 



what guaranty of purity should be placed upon the seeds. 

 While it does not take long to examine a fine seed with high 

 percentages of purity, a poor red-top or similar fine seed may 

 take so much of the time of the analyst as to seriously delay 

 reports upon other and more important seeds. For this reason 

 in February, March and April when the call for seed analysis 

 is greatest, frequently the examination of fine seeds such as red- 

 top cannot be undertaken. 



Correspondents desiring to forward seeds for analysis should 

 observe carefully the directions given on the third page of cover 

 of this bulletin. 



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 foreign 

 seeds. 



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

 to make a purity examination. The following simple instruc- 

 tions for performing germination tests at home without any 

 special apparatus will enable the farmer to learn for himself 

 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 

 common weight, cut into strips about 6x19 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 



