64 THE BEGINNER'S GARDEN BOOK 



so much poorer than an expensive seed that it ought not to 

 be planted. Only good seed is worth planting: "The best 

 is the cheapest." 



We must not always conclude that seed is bad because of 

 some one's dishonesty. Uncleanness, the mixture of weed 

 seeds, or even bad germination, may come only from care- 

 lessness. The seed may have been hastily or ignorantly 

 harvested; it may not have been properly cleaned; and it 

 may have been badly stored. Seed which has been mois- 

 tened, or which has suffered from changing temperature, will 

 not sprout well. That is why the old-fashioned corn-crib 

 is not so good for the storage of seed as is a dry and not too 

 cold store-room. And we may conclude that to be sure 

 of good seed we must either handle it well ourselves, or buy 

 it from dealers who take pains with the harvesting, the 

 cleaning, and the storing of their seed. 



Review Questions 



1. Why do we need to test seed? 



2. Describe a simple form of tester. 



3. Why is it wise to test the seed of corn ? 



4. Describe the sand-box tester. The sawdust-box tester. The 

 rag-doll tester. 



5. Why should we test seed for impurity ? What do we need for 

 the work ? 



6. Why is cheap seed costly ? 



