1642 



SEE DAG E 



and if those in one or more blocks show either general 

 inferiority or a hirg-e portion of inferior plants, the en- 

 tire block is condemned and rooted out, even if in doini: 

 so some very fine individual plants are destroyed. The 

 remaining blocks are then carefuUyextiniined and that one 

 selected which shows the closest adherence to the desired 

 type, and from it a few plants are selected and their 



2293. A gardener's Hat. or shallow box. in which seeds are 

 sown and small plants handled. 



A good size fur ;i Ihit is IG x 20 iucdies, ajid 3 inches deep. 



seed saved separntely for plantinft- in blocks the suc- 

 ceeding: year. Tlien the remaininij; iilants of this and 

 the other bh.cks whi<di escaped the first weeding out are 

 very carefully examined and all inferior ones removed, 

 and the seeds from the plants which still remain are 

 saved together. These are usually sufficient in quantity 

 to plant a field, the product of which is used by the 

 seedsman for his general stock seed. From the stock 

 seed he grows the seed which he offers his customers. 

 The same process is repeated every year, or at least every 

 few years, and results in marked improvement, if not 

 in type, at least in the fixing and making pei'manent the 

 good qualities of the variety. Having thus obtained 

 stock seed which is of superior quality and sure to 

 reproduce itself, the seedsman contracts with some 

 farmer, located in a section where soil and climate are 

 favorable to the best development of the sort, to plant 

 a large field and save the entire seed product. This the 

 farmer does with little regard to selection, taking pains 

 only to guard against contamination from adjoining 

 fields, and to remove any chance sports or mixtures 

 that may appear. The seed thus produced is what the 

 seedsman furnishes his customers. This plan enables 

 the professional seedsman not only to produce cheaper 

 seeds, but seeds of better quality than the ordinary 

 planter can, or at least is likely to jjroduce in his own 

 garden, and in consecpience gardeners have come to get 

 more and more of their seed from the seedsman, whose 

 business has correspondingly increased. 



In 1900 a single seed firm contracted for the growing 

 of more than 200 ncres of one variety of watermelon 

 for seed, and received on its contracts over 30,000 

 pounds. More than half of this came from a single field 

 of over 50 acres, and in this entire field there were not 

 50 fruits which were not good typos of the variety. 

 One could go to anv part of it and gathering together 

 the nearest 100 fruits wonld find tliat at least 50 of tliem 

 were so nearly alike as not to lie distinguished from one 

 another; while of the remaining fiO ;it least 4-0 could be 

 distinguished only by some mark that ]iad resulted 

 from accidental causes. The s;iine firm had 20- ;nid 40- 

 acre fields of be;nis, ]>eas, corn and other vegetables in 

 wliich every yilaiit w;i-^. as it were, the grandchihl of 

 some especially !inc ph'int produced two years beforr, 

 and whieli was itself the prMdnet of years of previous 

 ell serd is much nnu-e rrlinble than tliat 

 siiudl garden, wlicre olhrr plaufsul- (Im' 

 ire i;rn\ving in ))<-:\v-hy gardens ;iiid lields. 

 W. W. Tn.\ry. 



Seed Testing. -Si-i(:]itines;.,.d testing was inaugurated 

 in 1809 by Dr. F. Nobh.'. direr,. ']■ of Ihe Exi.erimeut 

 Station at Tliannid, Saxony, wlio \.', ,; impressed by the 

 large amount of impurities and tlie Low germiniiting 



srli-f-rioii 

 l-rodufcd 

 same spo 



2294. Clover seed "trier.' 



SEEDAGE 



power of many commercial seeds, for which the German 

 farmer was paying fancy prices. The publication of the 

 results obtained by him excited nnich comment and laid 

 the foundation tur the present extensive system of 

 European seed eunrrol. At the present time there are 

 more than one hundred so-called seed control stations 

 in Europe ah>ne. Some of these are independeid insti- 

 tutions, while others are conducted as branches of agri- 

 cultural oxpi'viment stations. 



The quality ot seeds caimot bo told by a mere ensual 

 inspection luit is ascertaine'l oiily by a carefid test. 

 This shouhl iuiduile thi-ee stejis: (1) au examination 

 for purifji (freedom from f<n-i'ign matter), (2) rilaUfij, 

 and {H) (irinii lunnss, or trueness to name. The latter is 

 known to seedsnren and growers as purify of .stock. 

 Unless seeds possess a higli requirement in all of these 

 respects their use will entail great loss to the planter. 



Pitrili/ Trs/. — The percentage of purity is determined 

 by weight, from a fair average sample of seed selected 

 from different parts of the imlk lot. Wheat and other 

 grains are taken with a sampler, consisting of two hol- 

 low cylinders of metal, one inside the other, and about 

 3G in. long by l^t in. in diameter. They are pointed at 

 the bottom and contain a series of openings along one 

 side, which may be turned at will to open or close the 

 holes. The sampler, with the holes open, is thrust into 

 the grain in the car or open bag for its entire length. 

 When filled with seeds the inner cylinder is turned, so 

 as to close the holes, and the sampler removed. For 

 clover and other small seeds one uses a "trier," consist- 

 ing of a single short cylinder open at one end and taper- 

 ing down to a sharp point, just above whicdi c>n one side 

 is a long, elli]ttical open- 

 ing (Fig. 22i)4). The trier 

 is thrust through the side 

 of a bag of seed at dif- 

 erent points until the 

 aperture is covered, the 



seed being allowed to run out at the other end into a 

 dish. 



The seed thus taken is thoroughly mixed and a given 

 quantity weighed out for testing. The amounts used in 

 the purity test vary with the size of the seed, ranging 

 from 15 grains of June grass, red top, and tobacco to 

 1.8 ounces of peas and cereals. If the sample is suspected 

 to contain any seeds of such serious pests as dodder, 

 Canada thistle, wild mustard, ergot, etc., at least 1.8 

 ounces are examined for such impurities. 



After being weighed the seeds are spread out thinly 

 on a sheet of heavy white paper or pane of glass and liy 

 means of a pair of forceps the impurities are removed. 

 This includes inert matter, such as dirt, chaff, broken 

 seeds and foreign seeds. Under the latter designation 

 are embraced seeds of both weeds and useful plants, 

 that is, any seeds of a different name from that imder 

 which the sample was sold. The impurities are weighed 

 upon a good chemical balance and the percentage of 

 impurity thus determined. 



The purity which a given kind of first-class com- 

 mercial seed should show depends largely upon the 

 habit of growth of the species and the difficulty of ob- 

 taining pure seed of that species. Most vegetables and 

 cereals are grown devoid of weeds, and their seeds 

 are easily ejeaned, hence they should be practically 

 pure. Grasses and rlovers, on the other hand, are more 

 or less liable U> be mixed with other species in the field. 

 Furthermore, the cleaning of some varieties requires 

 great care, ottoi entailing a considerable loss of good 

 seed, hener the ju-oportion of pure seed to be expected 

 in such sam|)lrs is less than in the former case. 



An extensive experience in testing commercial seeds, 

 together witli a comparison of the results of other tests 

 made in this country and Europe, has enabled ihe 

 Fnited States Doi>artment of Agriculture to fix a table 

 of standards (d' purity for most seeds sold by di'alers. 

 Tliese- standards, however, aix' subject to future re- 

 vision if found necessary. 



liv means of a hand Ims and bv reference to a stinid- 

 anrcidh'ciion of (.-conomic seeds', the foreign seeds in 

 th(^ sanqde are next determine(!. If dodder, Canada 

 thistle, ergot, wild nuistard, bnlbs of wild onion, chess, 

 Ivussian Ihisllo, eoekle, (|ua-di grass, penny cress, wild 

 oats, or wild llax are present the seed should be re- 



