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SECT. XXXIV. 
HOW TO DETERMINE THE GOODNESS OF SEEDS. 
* 
Leave the gay town for scenes more truly gay, 
Air unpolluted, and unclouded day: 
On the green hillock snuff the passing gales, 
Or catch the fragrance of the fiow’ry dale. 
The passing seasons of the year remark. 
From hoary Winter, cheerless, dreary, dark. 
To jocund Spring, where, dress’d in rich array, 
All nature wantons in the sweets of May. 
Admire the rip’ning fruits of Summer’s reign. 
And Autumn, fraught with loads of golden grain; 
Pleasures like these enjoy, their blessings own. 
And health shall deck thee with her enyy’d crown. 
Smythson. 
The weighing a given measure of them may generally be esteemed a 
criterion, as it is known, that when seeds are put into cold water, those 
which are less perfect are liable to swim, and the sound ones to sink; thus 
the imperfect seeds of rye-grass and of clover may be detected by throwing 
a spoonful of them into water; but the seeds of rye-grass are said to be 
frequently adulterated by a mixture of the seeds of twitch or dogs grass , 
which can only be discovered by an experienced eye. This even is said to 
be a test of the goodness of malt ; as those grains, which are not perfectly 
germinated, will swim with one end upwards, I suppose the root end; and 
those which are perfectly germinated swim on their side, whilst the sound 
ungerminated barley sinks in water. 
It is therefore a proper criterion of good seed-wheat to cast it into salt 
and water, just so saline as to float an egg; as the more salt is dissolved in 
the water, the heavier it becomes; and hence none but sound grains of 
wheat will sink in this brine; and that which swims is properly rejected. 
This rejection of the light grains by steeping wheat in brine is probably of 
greater consequence to the ensuing crop, than the adhesion of any salt to 
the grain, which has been believed to destroy the eggs of insects supposed 
to adhere to it, or to fertilize the soil. 
