6i6 FARM ' SEEDS ' : GENERAL 



unfamiliar crop external observation of the character of the seed 

 is frequently misleading, and at all times we must be aware of 

 the fact that it is possible for a seed to be made to appear what 

 it is not in reality. 



It is necessary, therefore, to consider the various methods of 

 testing and examining seeds, which give a certain and correct 

 estimate of their value. 



A perfect sample is one in which each individual seed present 

 is capable of giving rise to a strong and healthy plant of the kind 

 we desire, when placed under conditions suitable to germination. 

 Such samples are rarely met with, and can scarcely be expected, 

 except in special instances of hand-picked garden seeds, harvested 

 under favourable conditions on a small scale and carefully stored. 

 Commercial farm seeds are nearly always deficient in some of the 

 following particulars, each of which in itself must be carefully 

 studied and definitely tested, as far as it is possible to do so. 

 (i) Purity of sample. 



(ii) Germination capacity. 



(iii) Speed of germination. 



(iv) Weight. 



(v) Various minor characters such' as form, colour, brightness 

 and smell, which are often useful indications of quahty where 

 the more important points previously given cannot be readUy 

 determined. 



2. Purity. — Everything in the sample which is not the genuine 

 seed is an impurity. Even with the best appliances and cleaning 

 machinery used by seedsmen, it is not possible to supply absolutely 

 pure seed. With the larger kinds, such as the cereals, peas 

 and beans, there is little difficulty in separating impurities which 

 may be present at harvesting, but in the case of the smaller seeds, 

 and especially those of clovers and grasses, there is greater trouble 

 in ridding them of foreign seeds, and imperfectly cleaned samples 

 of these are consequently not unfrequent. 



The presence of impurities decreases the value of a sample in 



