176 SUGAR BEET SEED. 



It is desirable to sprinkle a little dry sand on the 

 surface before placing the seed in position. In this 

 case, about loo average seeds are used; the receptacle 

 is covered by a sheet of glass and left for about two 

 weeks. So as to obviate the ordeal of counting, a special 

 hand-roller has been constructed by Breuer. By sim- 

 ply using it as one would a blotter of the same shape, 

 100 depressions are made in the sand, in lo rows 

 and lo in each row. The best practice, however, 

 demands that the seed sprouted be constantly removed 

 and the number of days noted; a match stick or piece 

 of wood is placed where the seeds were taken. After 

 the end of the germination period, it is desirable to 

 examine with a magnifying glass the seeds which do 

 not give signs of life, to ascertain to a certainty if this 



Fig. 53. Breuer marker. 



may be attributed to fraud or accident. Some experts 

 recommend that after counting the sprouts of each 

 seed removed, that they be again placed in a second 

 germinator for another period of eight days; other 

 sprouts will then appear. 



In the earth test, square boxes, about 20 c. m. (8 

 inches) inside measurement, and lo c. m. (4 inches) 

 in depth, are used; these are filled with earth nearly ta 

 the top. On the surface are arranged, parallel to each 

 other, strips of tin i c. m. (0.39 inches) in width, the 

 distance between each being i c. m. Perpendicular 

 to these are other strips of tin arranged in exactly the 

 same manner, their points of intersection being sol- 

 dered so that they retain their respective positions. In 

 the openings left, i square c. m., the seeds are placed 



