46 



SEED AND ITS NEEDS 



The germinating cup is a small earthen vessel, 3 inches in 

 diameter or 3 inches square and I5 inches deep. The cup is 

 covered with a lid of the same size and shape as the top of 

 cup, in which are a number of small holes. The cup is placed 

 in a shallow pan of water and kept at a temperature of about 

 75° or 80° F. Germinating cups must be thoroughly steril- 

 ized before the seeds are placed in them. 



Fig. 9. — The dinner-plate seed tester. 



The tile germinator is a large tile, 12 x 15 inches and 2 

 inches deep, in which have been molded pockets varying in 

 size from 1 inch to 3 inches in diameter. This tester is 

 placed in a shallow pan of water the same as the germinating 

 cups. Usually it is advisable to cover the top of the tester 

 with a pane of glass to prevent spores of fungi from falling 

 on the seeds and causing trouble. 



The Geneva seed tester is a galvanized iron pan, 10 inches 

 wide, 14 inches long and 3| inches deep, with a ledge | inch 

 wide along the sides. The seed are held in folds of cloth 

 suspended on rods which rest on this ledge. The water is 

 carried to the seed through capillarity. A pane of glass is 



