100 



In view of the state of our knowledge relative to the crop-producing 

 value of hard seed, it is believed that this form of statement is more useful 

 to the ultimate consumer, the farmer, than is the assigning of any 

 arbitrary value. 



With certain kinds of seeds it is, no doubt, important to scarify them 

 so that they will germinate promptly under normal field conditions. 

 Harrington has shown that this can be done most effectively and with 

 least injury to the seeds themselves at the time of threshing through the 

 use of proper machinery carefully adjusted. 



Little attention has been given in America to the determination of 

 broken seedlings except in the case of TrifoUum incarnatum. We are, in 

 tliis case, governed by the rule of the Association of Official Seed Analysts 

 of North America, which is : " Seeds of leguminosae should not be 

 considered germinated when both cotyledons break off." 



In closing, I want to stress the importance of research. To you seed 

 merchants of all countries : your business is dependent on agriculture, 

 and on agriculture alone. Your business serves agriculture, and to agri- 

 culture you owe everything. Do not give grudgingly, but follow the lead 

 of your associates of the British seed trade in promoting research in 

 agricvdture. To you directors of seed control stations and seed analysts : 

 too great a proportion of our energy has been spent on the routine of 

 our work and too little has been given to the iavestigation of those funda- 

 mental biological principles on which seed testing and agriculture in 

 general is based. At the same time that we are applying our present 

 erapirical knowledge of how to do, let us earnestly devote ourselves to 

 that research which alone will tell us why. 



Mr. David Bell (of the Scottish Seed Trade Association) 

 intimated that he was both a seed merchant and a farmer, and 

 that while, as a merchant, he was obliged to scarify hard seed 

 for the sake of his business, he had never sown scarified seed on 

 his farm. He was very glad that Mr. Brown was investigating 

 the question of hard seed. Mr. BeU stated that he had sown 

 wild white clover which contained over 30 per cent, of hard seed 

 and that a beautiful crop resulted. 



Mr. Lajferty referred to experiments conducted by Dr. G. H. 

 Pethybridge (late Director of the Seed Testing Station, Dublin), 

 on the germination of the hard seeds of some clovers. These 

 trials which extended over a period of 10 years showed that, 

 under the conditions obtaining in the laboratory germinators, 

 approximately 50 per cent, of the hard seeds of red clover germi- 

 nated within a period of three years. After this time germination 

 became very much slower with the result that not all the hard 

 seeds had germinated when the trials were concluded after 10 

 years. When, however, the remaining ungerminated seeds were 

 scarified and immediately replaced in the germinators, normal 

 germination took place in the majority of cases within a few days. 

 When parallel trials on the germination of the hard seeds of 

 clovers were conducted in the laboratory germinators and in 

 pots of soil in an unheated greenhouse it was found that during 

 the period of the test, which continued for approximately 

 18 months, a higher percentage of germination was obtained 

 where the seeds were planted in the soil than was the case of the 

 seed in the germinators. Mr. Laflerty expressed the view that 



