TESTING VITALITY OF SEEDS. 211 



TESTING VITALITY OF SEEDS. 



Owing to the unfavorable season of 1903, many kinds of seeds 

 failed to mature properly and it is probable that there will be 

 many disappointed growers during the present season. Prof. 

 W. M. Munson makes the following suggestions, whereby it is 

 possible for every farmer to know just what to expect from his 

 corn, oats, peas, clover or other crops, and to plan accordingly. 

 If he knows that only 50 per cent of his corn will germinate, it is 

 an easy matter to plant twice as much ; but if he plants the usual 

 amount and gets only half a stand, the case is much more serious. 



A simple test of the vitality of any farm or garden seeds can 

 be made as follows : Place 100 seeds, taken at random from the 

 stock which is to be planted, on a dish of sand, cover from y 2 to 

 1 inch with sand, moisten and keep in a warm place, as behind 

 the kitchen stove, until the sprouts appear. The number of 

 sprouts which appear will give an idea of the percentage which 

 may be expected to grow. Care should be taken that the seeds 

 are kept moist, but not too wet. It is advisable to make more 

 than one test, and be guided by the average results. A test of 

 this kind is more valuable than one in which the seeds are placed 

 in blotting paper, for seeds may sprout on paper which do not 

 have sufficient vitality to grow. 



