1904.] 



Vitality of Seed Oats. 



217 



In March last the attention of the Board was drawn by 



one of their correspondents to the low germinating power of 



x^r*. „ , much of the grain saved for seed in 

 Effect of Bad fe 

 Weather on the Aberdeenshire from the previous harvest. 



Vitality of Seed Opportunity was taken to draw the 

 attention of farmers to the matter, and 

 the Board are informed that oats were more thickly sown in 

 consequence, and where the crop has not been destroyed by 

 grub the result is fairly satisfactory. 



Some tests have been carried out by Mr. R. B. Greig, F.H.A.S., 

 of the Agricultural Department, Marischal College, Aberdeen, 

 with a view of ascertaining how far the unseasonable harvest 

 weather of 1903 has affected the vitality of the grain intended 

 for seed in 1904. Mr. Greig was induced to undertake these 

 tests in consequence of the fact that in the spring of 1903 

 many fields of oats in Aberdeenshire brairded badly and 

 ploughing and resowing was necessary in certain cases. It 

 •was generally believed that the thin braird was due to an un- 

 usually bad attack of the grub of the " Daddy Long Legs." There 

 appears to be no doubt that much harm was done by these 

 larvae, and by wire worms, but it seemed possible that the thin 

 appearance of many of the fields might be due to inferior seed, 

 and that the inferiority of the seed was caused by the bad 

 harvest weather of 1902. In one field, for example, partly sown 

 with seed obtained from the south and partly with local 

 seed, the difference in favour of the purchased seed was very 

 marked. 



Most of the samples tested were taken from the seed stack 

 or from the heap in the granary intended for sowing. Prac- 

 tically all were specially selected because they had been exposed 

 for a longer or shorter time to bad weather in stook. 



The germinator used was specially constructed, but was 

 imperfect in that it had no thermostat or apparatus for regu- 

 lating the heat, and so it was difficult to keep the temperature 

 quite uniform. This did not apparently have any practical effect, 

 and from a number of duplicate tests, and from tests with sound, 

 well-ripened seed, Mr. Greig is of opinion that the results ob- 

 tained are approximately correct. Out of thirty-four samples, the 

 highest individual germination was 63 per cent., and the lowest 



