FIELD CROPS 143 
on account of age or by getting damp. Wheat, oats, barley, 
rye, and flax should be run through the fanning mill and all 
small and shrunken kernels removed, as these give but a 
feeble plant, if they germinate at all. Special care has to be 
exercised in the selection and storage of seed corn as it loses 
A SMALL COLLECTION OF FARM AND GARDEN SEEDS 
its vitality more readily than almost any other seed. In 
all cases of doubt it is well to test the seeds before planting 
them to make sure that they will germinate; otherwise much 
labor and material may be invested, only to find that they 
are wasted when too late in the season to replant. A simple 
method of testing seeds is described elsewhere. (See page 25.) 
Planting. — The time of planting the seeds depends chiefly 
on the hardiness of the species. In the spring wheat region 
the earliest field crop to be planted is wheat. This grain will 
lie in wet and cold ground a considerable length of time with- 
