HINTS ON RAISING FARM CROPS 31 
farmers say that they do not understand how 
to test out their seed for germination. This 
is a very simple matter. Just take two saucers 
and cut two pieces of flannel cloth or heavy 
blotting paper to fit the two saucers. This is 
all the equipment that is necessary. Then 
count out a standard number of seeds. 100 
seeds is a convenient number. With the small 
grass seed, this can be done very easily with 
the aid of a tooth-pick. Next moisten the 
flannel cloth or the pieces of blotting paper, 
whichever is used, and place the cloth or 
blotter in each of the saucers. Then place the 
100 seeds to be tested on one of the saucers 
containing the blotter, or cloth, and cover this 
with the other saucer with the cloth or blotter 
fitted inside it. Keep this in a warm room, 
and moisten every day, or at least every other 
day. Most seeds will germinate inside of two 
weeks under this treatment. Grass seeds are 
somewhat slower in germinating than are oth¬ 
er seeds; some, such as Kentuck Blue Grass, 
even taking three weeks to sprout. By this 
process, the farmer can soon get a very good 
idea as to the viability, or life, of his seed. 
Not only grass seed is capable of being tested 
in this manner for germination, but many of 
the larger seeds respond to this method of 
testing. If a farmer finds that some of the 
seed that he is planning on sowing in the 
spring is low in germinating, he can save a 
good deal of waste by sowing extra heavily 
of this seed, thereby allowing for the poor 
germinating power of the seed in question. 
There are various methods of sowing grass 
