QUANTITY AND QUALITY O^ SEBD 23 



ence of opinion among good farmers as to the quantity 

 of seed to sow. As low as eight to ten pounds per 

 acre have frequently been used with satisfadlion. 



The quality of the seed is another most important 

 fadtor. Good germinable seed should always be used. 

 The percentage of germinability should be ascertained 

 by a test before sowing. This is easily obtained as 

 follows : Count out loo seeds and place between two 

 pieces of muslin. Invert a small dish in a larger vessel 

 and pour water around it. Place the muslin with 

 seeds on inverted dish. I^et one end of the muslin 

 hang down into the water. Saturate muslin and seed 

 before putting them into the germinator, and set the 

 whole in a warm place. The sprouted seeds should 

 be counted and discarded at intervala of two or three 

 days until all have germinated that will do so. The 

 number germinated will give the per cent, of germina- 

 bility. This ought not to be less than seventy-five 

 per cent. 



Farmers are often cautioned against buying old 

 alfalfa seed. Moderate age is no drawback. Seed six 

 years old has been known to show a germinability of 

 ninety-three per cent., and a German experimenter 

 kept alfalfa seed bottled up in nitrogen gas for seven- 

 teen years, and at the end of this time it showed a ger- 

 minability of fifty -six per cent. 



A statement from one of the eastern experiment 

 stations, made a few years ago, that alfalfa seed more 

 than one year old will not germinate has been largely 

 copied by the agricultural press. This statement is 

 wholly erroneous, and should be corrected. The qual- 

 ity depends upon how it is harvested and handled. 

 Good, plump, well-ripened seed will keep ten years 



