li^ SUGAR BEET SEED. 



Knauer made a special study of the question. The 

 experiments were upon seed containing from 1 1 .8 to 



12.6 per cent, moisture, when brought to the labor- 

 atory after harvesting. To show that the moisture of 

 the room in which seeds are kept has an influence, the 

 above seed, when kept on the ground floor, soon, had 



16.7 per cent, moisture, while after remaining for three 

 days in a room heated to 22° C. (71.6° F.) their mois- 

 ture was only 10. i per cent. When one considers that 

 the daily variations of the ambient air is very consider- 

 able, it becomes manifest that certain allowances must 

 be made for the same. Experiments were made upon 

 seeds of four different sizes.* With a relative moisture 

 of the air, which varied from 61 per cent, to 94 per 

 cent., the total increase of moisture for the four seeds 

 was 0.53 per cent., 0.40 per cent., 0.28 per cent, and 

 0.36 per cent. 



These observations are of special moment when it 

 is desired to make a commercial examination of beet 

 seed. If the sample is sent by mail it is very impor- 

 tant that it should be contained in a hermetically sealed 

 box. The amount of water that the seed absorbs when 

 in water depends upon the temperature and time of 

 emersion. Our own experiments showed that at 40 

 degrees F. the absorption was 71 per cent., while at 

 68 degrees F. it ran to 1 10 per cent, f Knauer 's exper- 

 iments for 144 hours showed that the absorption for 

 the four sizes of seed mentioned in foregoing was 136 

 per cent., 114 per cent., 149 per cent, and 172 per cent. 

 It is concluded that seeds of smaller size take up 

 water more rapidly, proportionally, than large seeds; 

 the absorption is the greatest during the first 24 hours 

 and during the first six hours of the test. 



*Tn the Knaner seed the classification is as follows : Those remain- 

 ing in the sieve with 7. m. m. mesh, will wnitrh, for 100 seeds, 4.B97 

 grams, or 109 seeds for 5 crams ; those remaining: in sieve with 6. m. ni. 

 mesh correspond to 143 seeds per Siiranis. The third size are those 

 ■which are retained by 5 m. m. mesh and give 194 seeds for 5grums, and 

 the fourth, 313 seeds per 5 grams, 

 tSee Ware, "The Sugar Beet." 



