AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 137 



eral, small seeds demand shallow planting and larger ones more 

 depth of soil. Nothing is gained by planting before the soil is 

 warm enough or properly drained, but the seed is frequently lost. 

 Seeds buried in a cold, moist soil any length of time are liable to 

 rot. The soil should be dry enough to work, porous, allowing 

 access of air to the seed. Seeds planted early should be more 

 lightly covered, so as to secure necessary' warmth. 



So complex and variable are the conditions due to the season, 

 soil and seed, that no invariable rules for planting can be formu- 

 lated. The planter has largely to relj' upon his experience and 

 judgment, even when his seed is first class. 



To remove or lessen one cause of failure would require more 

 careful farming. The other cause of failure can be lessened by a 

 careful, systematic inspection of seeds. To determine to what 

 extent the failure of seeds to germinate is due to inferior quality, 

 the station will conduct germination tests from 3'ear t© year; and, 

 as was indicated in bulletin No. 24, May, 1888, inspect seeds sent 

 by the farmers of the state as to iheir puritj' and germinating 

 power. 



For the germination tests conducted this season, there were 

 selected for examination and comparison, seeds offered for sale by 

 wholesale dealers in the state ; those kept at stores to be sold on 

 commission ; those obtained direct from wholesale houses outside 

 the state, and those distributed b}' the Department of Agriculture. 



The material for this season's work was obtained from the fol- 

 lowing sources: Edwin Chick & Co., Bangor, Me., direct; R. B. 

 Dunning & Co., Bangor, Me., direct; Kendall & Whitney, Port- 

 land, Me., direct; B. Walker McKeen, Fryeburg, Me., direct; 

 E. W. Burbank, Fryeburg, Me., direct; Thos. W. Emerson & Co., 

 Boston, Mass., Dunning, Bangor; D. M. Ferry & Co., Detroit, 

 Mich., direct; David Landreth & Sons, Philadelphia. Pa., direct; 

 James M. Thorburg & Co., New York, N. Y., direct; Iowa Seed 

 Co., Des Moines, Iowa, Department of Agriculture ; Department of 

 Agriculture, Washington D. C, direct. 



GERMINATOKS. 



The germinator used was a galvanized tray eight inches deep, 

 covered with a dome shaped lid. On the inside of the tra3% on two 

 sides, and one inch from the top, were soldered waving shelves, in 



