4 Maine Agricultural Experiment Station. 1918. 



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

 use. No matter how pure a seed may be, if half of it will no 

 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 no 

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

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

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

 question contains any considerable amount of impurities. I 

 the seed is spread out upon a white plate, a little practice w'i! 

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

 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 seec 

 than to make a purity examination. The following simpl 

 instructions for performing germination tests at home withou 

 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-caller 

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

 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 3 thicknesse 

 and about 6 inches square, on an ordinary dinner plate 

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

 and if large between the folds. The paper is kept moist (no 

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



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

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

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

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

 bottom of a fiat dish and the seeds to be tested placed on i 

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

 well shaded and at a somewhat higher temperature than in th 

 first case. 



At the end of every second day in the case of some seed; 

 and the third day in the case of those germinating more slowh 

 the sprouted seeds should be removed from the blotters or th 

 sand and counted, the per cent being readily found by referrin; 

 back to the number of seeds which were taken for the test. 



