13 



spring, usually a great excess of moisrore and a low degree of 

 heat, all of which causes, either single or combined in their 

 effects, draw largely on the \'ital power of the seed. Hence, 

 seed that under the favoring influences of the hot-house or 

 kitchen may vegetate, may not have sufficient \italit}' to over- 

 come the excessive cold or moisture of the garden. The re- 

 sult, therefore, of the usual experimental tests can be relied 

 upon as gi^ing only an approximation to the truth. 



Among these approximate tests is the simple one of par- 

 tially filling a tumbler with cotton-wool, pouring in a Kttle water, 

 not sufficient to cover the cotton, then sprinkling a certain 

 number of seed on the cotton, covering it \dth a little addi- 

 tional cotton to keep the moisture in. Another simple test is 

 to sprinkle the seed to be tested on a moist woolen cloth, fold 

 the cloth together, and put it in a place moderately vrarm. 

 The proportion of seed tliat is good will be kno^^'n by the 

 proportion that sprout. Experienced eyes can learn some- 

 thing by the appearance and feel of the seed. Old seed re- 

 quire several days longer to vegetate than new. 



WHAT KIND OF OXIOXS TO PLAXT. 



Foreign catalogues describe a score and more varieties of 

 onion which are raised in Europe, but as far as experiments 

 have been made with them in this countn-, it has been fo^und 

 that European-grown onion seed cannot be relied upon to 

 give as good bulbs as American-grown of the same varieties ; 

 T\'hile many sorts are not adapted to our chmate. A measure 

 of the dubious quaht}' of this foreign seed is well indicated 

 hy the lower price at which it is generally catalogued. 



Of those grown from seed, the Large Red, Yellow, and 

 WTiite are the tlnree standard varieties in the United States. 



