Germination. 29 
37. Germination is sometimes Hastened by Cracking 
or Cutting Away part of the Seed-Case. To facilitate 
the absorption of water, nurserymen often drill or file a hole 
through the bony seed-cases of nelumbium seeds, or crack 
dry peach and plum pits, in a vise, or with an implement 
resembling a nutcracker (26d). 
38. Seeds may Fail to Germinate from a variety of 
causes, even when exposed to the proper degree of warmth, 
moisture and oxygen. They may be too old (165), they may 
not have been sufficiently mature when gathered (163), 
they may have become too dry (169), they may have been 
subjected to freezing before sufficiently dry (167), they may 
have been stored while damp, and thus subjected to undue 
heating, or they may have been damaged by insects or fungi, 
either before or after maturity. Defects of these kinds are 
not always discernible to the eye, hence 
39. Seeds should be Tested before Planting to learn 
if they will germinate. It is unnecessary to plant seeds in 
soil to test them, since the seed-tester shown in Fig. 5 is 
Fic. 5. Showing a simple seed-tester, adapted to farmers’ and gardeners’ use. 
