CONCLUSIONS. 19 



ARTIFICIAL CURING. 



An attempt was made to try the practicabilit}^ of curing the rough 

 seed b\ r means of a commercial grain dryer, or a modification of it. 

 A quantity of seed was sent to Chicago and dried very quickly and 

 economically, but it had heated in transit, so that the samples taken 

 when it reached Chicago failed to germinate. There would be no pos- 

 sibility of injury to the vitality of the seed if the drying was done at a 

 low temperature and with a large blast of air. If the seed was only 

 partly dried in some such manner it could then be handled with very 

 little danger of heating, as the most severe fermentation takes place 

 immediately after stripping, while all the water is in the seed and straw. 

 A plant to thoroughly test this method of curing should be established 

 the coming season, as its successful operation and adoption would mean 

 a great saving in labor, as well as a great improvement in the quality 

 of Kentucky bluegrass seed. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



1. Green seed of Kentucky bluegrass when put in ricks will ferment 

 and reach a temperature of 130° to 140° F. in less than sixteen hours. 



2. A temperature of 130° to 140° F. for sixteen hours or less will 

 greatly damage if not entirely destroy the vitality of the seed. 



3. Under the present methods of handling green seed it must be 

 stirred at short intervals. 



4. The seed must not be stripped till mature, as it is much harder 

 to prevent fermentation in the immature seed. 



5. Seed should always be put in small ricks, not over 18 inches high. 



6. Seed can be cured to better advantage under cover in bad weather 

 and outdoors in clear weather. 



7. A plant for thoroughly testing artificial curing should be estab- 

 lished at once. 



O 



