623 FARM ' SEEDS ' : GENERAL 



in thrashing, and too high a temperature and excess of moisture 

 in the store room. 



No matter what the cause may be, the death of the seed or 

 its weakness can readily be tested, and no seed should ever be 

 sown without this being done. It is also advisable for the 

 farmer to have some guarantee from the vendor in respect of 

 the germination capacity, and refuse to purchase from those 

 who will not give it. 



The germination test is applied to the pure seed separated 

 in the previous examination, not to the sample in its original 

 mixed condition. The following is a simple method which can 

 be used for many kinds of seeds : — 



Moisten a piece of thick blotting paper with water without 

 making it dripping wet, fold it once and place it upon an 

 ordinary plate. Take two lots of about 200 seeds each, distribute 

 them fairly evenly on the blotting paper, and cover them with 

 another sheet of similar paper. This done the whole should 

 then be covered with another plate turned upside down, or a 

 sheet of glass, in order to prevent too rapid evaporation of the 

 water, and placed in a warm room. For each particular kind 

 of seed there is a definite temperature at which germination 

 goes on best, and in special instances to secure accurate results 

 it is necessary to be able to control the heat supplied to seeds. 

 A temperature, however, of about 18° C. (62° F.) is suitable 

 to most ordinary seeds, with the exception of barley, which 

 germinates best when kept slightly lower than this, viz., at 

 16° C. (57° F.-58° F.). 



During the trial remove the upper plate at least once or 

 twice every day to allow the carbon dioxide gas produced to 

 diffuse away and fresh air to get at the seeds. Take away the 

 germinated ones as soon as the embryo shows itself, and make 

 a note of it. 



The time during which to carry on the experiment varies 

 with the kind of seed. 



