io6 Diseases of Greenhouse Ci;ops 



Storage Conditions. The vitality of seed is great- 

 ly influenced by storage conditions. The longest 

 lived seed may be ruined by improper storage. The 

 ideal conditions of storage, however, are not always 

 those which "favor germination. Seed should be 

 cured or dried before storing. The drier it is the 

 less likely it is to spoil and the higher will be the 

 temperature that it can stand. When large quanti- 

 ties of seed are to be handled by the trucker, it is 

 advisable to build a seed house. The seeds are best 

 kept in strong paper or cloth bags, placed in tin or 

 galvanized iron cans. 



Seed Testing. In buying seed we must never 

 take it for granted that the germination will be per- 

 fect. To make sure, a sample of the seed should be 

 tested for germination. The simplest method, per- 

 haps, is to sow a definite number of seed in a shal- 

 low pan filled with moist sand, and kept covered in a 

 warm, dark place. However, the fact that a seed 

 sprouts does not always imply that it will develop 

 into a normal plant. Hence, allowance should be 

 made for this probability when making a test at 

 home or in the seed laboratory. 



Effect of Fertilizer on Seed. With the hope of 

 hastening germination, greenhouse men often apply 

 various fertilizers to the seed bed. This practice 

 cannot be too strongly discouraged, especially when 

 muriate of potash and nitrate of soda are used. 

 These two fertilizers when used in strengths of one 

 per cent, or more, inhibit the germination of the 

 seed, whether applied directly or mixed with the 



