80 
COMPARISON OF FIELD AND LABORATORY GERMINATION. 
These experiments were conducted for two years at Amarillo. Tex. 
In 1914 300 seeds each of five varieties were drilled in rows at 2- week 
intervals from April 1 to June 1, and in 1915 from April 1 to July 15. 
After the emergence of the plants seemed to be completed a count 
was made, and four or five days later the plants were counted a 
second time to make sure that the full germination was obtained. 
The results of these field germination tests are given in Table 24. 
Table 24. — Laboratory germination tests of sorghum seed compared with field tests 
at Amarillo, Tex., in 1914 o,nd 1915. 
Variety and date 
seeded. 
Soil 
con- 
dition. 
Blaekhull kafir: 
Apr. 1 Dry. 
Apr. 15 L. .do— 
May 1 Wet- 
May 15 L— do— 
June 1 Moist. 
June 15 ! 
July 1 
July 15 
Dwarf milo: 
Apr. 1 Dry... 
Apr. 15 do— 
May 1 ! Wet- 
May 15_- — — -do — 
June 1 Moist. 
June 15 
July 1.. _______ 
July 15 
Feterita: 
Apr. 1 Dry... 
Apr. 15 ..do... 
May 1 Wet- 
May 15 ...do... 
June 1 Moist. 
June 15 ..-!- 
July 1 
July 15 ' 
Black Amber sorgo: : 
Apr. 1 Dry- 
Apr. 15 ...do— 
May 1 Wet- 
May 15 do— 
June 1 Moist- 
June 15— 
July 1 
July 15 
Sumac sorgo:' 
Apr. 1 Dry- 
Apr. 15 do— 
May l : Wet- 
May 15-. do— 
June 1 Moist- 
June 15 
July 1 
July 15 
It will be noted that the quality of the seed was unusually good, 
none of the lots germinating less than 90 per cent in the laboratory. 
The very much lower percentage of germination obtained in the field 
explains the necessity of using a much larger quantity of seed than 
is theoretically necessary to obtain a given stand of plants. 
