VITALITY OF SHED. 
The United States Experiment Station Record, 
Vol. VI, No. 5, gives in a tabular form the result of 
an eleven years’ test of the duration of the vitality 
of some agricultural seeds made by 8S. Samck, from 
which the following is taken. Well matured seed 
was selected, a portion of which was examined each 
year from 1883 to 1894. The unused portions were 
kept in paper bags in a dry airy room and seeds 
taken from them each succeeding year for the test. 
iy 
PERCENTAGE OF VITALITY. 
BANDE OM SEED yl oi ga ae oe fw [eo lao | as 
‘S. yrs, | yrs. |. yrs. | yrs. | yrs. | yrs. | yrs. | yrs. 
7 | 72 |-m | 68 | 66 | 638 | 5d |, 54 
84 | v4 | 68 | 44 | 16 | 10 3 2 
37 | 15 7 6 5 3 31°38 
s 63 | 52 | 50 | 60 | 8 | 31 | 26 | 23 | 22 
88 | 86 | 79 | 66 | 39 | 15 1 0 
Orchard grass... .| 46 47 44 |"44 | 3 29 21 12 8 5 a 
It will be seen that in the first year of the experi- 
ment, out of 100 seeds of alfalfa planted, 94 germi- 
nated; of the same number of red clover, 90° germi- 
nated; of alsike, 73; of white clover, 74; of. timothy, 
95; of orchard grass, 46; while in the slaventh year 
but 54 out of the 100 seeds of alfalfa grew, 2 of red 
clover, 3 of alsike, 22 of white clover, and none of 
either timothy or orchard grass. According to these 
figures, age does not affect the vitality of alfalfa 
seed so much. as it does the other seeds used in the 
experiment. ‘No observations, however, were. made 
by the experimenter regarding the strength of the 
plants from the old seed as compared with those 
from the new seed. 
(4%) 
