CHAPT 



SEED TESTING 



69. Specialists divide seeds into two classes — those 

 whose botanical purity can be determined from the speci- 

 mens themselves and those which can be judged only by 



the plants they produce. 

 Most farm seeds belong to 

 the first class ; most garden 

 seeds to the second. Hence, 

 the former are the more 

 easil}- tested and their val- 

 ue for sowing more accu- 

 rateh- judged beforehand. 

 With the latter the point of 

 most importance is true- 

 ness to name and strain. 

 Of course they must ger- 

 minate, but gardeners would 

 rather have low vitality 

 seed of good stock than 

 high vitality seed of poor 

 sto'-k ; for though they 

 might get onl}r 25 per cent 

 of plants from a sowing, 

 these would be of the type 

 they desire ; but even 90 

 ])er cent in the other case 

 mi£;'ht mean no sale for the 



FIG. 31— TWO STYLES OF TROWELS 



Left, properly cared for; right, im- 

 properly 



product. Most good seedsmen, therefore, test their stock. 



The importance of this was recently told the writer hy a protn- 

 inent seedsman whose firm took a contract to furnish a canning fac- 

 tory with a large quantity of best seed. The seed firm was oblised 

 to buy the seed to fill the order. No test was, therefore, possible 

 prior to filling the contract. The seed proved tn be so inferior that 

 the seed firm promptly met the loss of $t,'2nO when the canning 

 company made complaint. 



