Pxiriiy and Germhiation of Seeds. 221 
eight or nine seeds of the kind he believes he has purchased. 
But only less to be blamed is the farmer who puts on his land 
such impure seeds without examination. The presence in the, 
above mixture of so many small and very different looking 
seeds to the rye-grass is easily determined by the naked eye, 
and such a mixture should not have been bought by the 
farmer. 
The other case was a sample of rye which had germinated 
very imperfectly in the field. After several tests under 
different conditions it was found that its germination was 
only 28 per cent. Though there has been great and general 
improvement in the quality of the seeds sold to farmers in 
England since the Royal Agricultural Society took the matter 
up on behalf of its members, it is clear that much yet remains 
to be done before the farmer can be sure that he is purchasing 
the best quality. One of the first steps that the Society took 
was to urge its members to obtain with their purchased seed 
a guarantee of its purity and germination. At that time no 
merchant entertained the proposal ; but it has commended 
itself increasingly to seed merchants until now there is no 
difficulty in purchasing seeds guaranteed both as to purity and 
germination. The farmer has now himself to blame if he 
continues to buy bad seed. 
The weather of this year (1907) has been so wet and sunless 
that the seed harvest has been far from satisfactory. Much 
of the seed failed to get fully ripe. Unripe seed is more 
difficult to maintain in vitality during the winter and those 
that survive produce but poor plants. There is good reason 
to fear that the general qualitj" of this year’s seeds will not 
be satisfactory, and really good, well-filled seeds will be scarce 
and high priced — and this is the case not only with English 
but also with imported seeds. 
Seeds have been examined and tested for the Royal Parks, 
on behalf of His Majesty’s Office of Works, and for growth in 
the grounds of the asylums under the London County Council. 
Duration op Vitality in Farm Seeds. 
The experiments as to the life of farm seeds were con- 
tinued this year, being the twelfth year of these consecutive 
annual trials of seeds harvested in 1895. This year’s trials 
show yet a few seeds, in ten cases some remaining vitality, 
but only in the case of the two samples of oats is the life 
retained to any extent. Last year the black oats germinated 
76 per cent., this year it fell to 70 per cent., while the white 
oats feli from 57 per cent, in 1906 to 50 per cent, in 1907.. 
Full details were added to the diagram prepared by Mr. Giissow, 
and this was again exhibited at the Society’s show at Lincoln. 
