Cleaned, Treated and Tested Seed 
11 
The following table gives the length of time seeds may be ex¬ 
pected to retain their vitality under average storage conditions: 
TABLE I.—AGE AND VITALITY OF SEED 
Seed Years 
Alfalfa . 6-8 
Alsike clover . 2 
Asparagus . 5 
Beans . 3 
Beets . 6 
Brome grass . 5 
Cabbage . 5 
Carrots . 4 
Cauliflower .. 5 
Celery . 8 
Corn, field ... 2 
Corn, sweet . 2 
Cress . 5 
Crimson clover . 1-2 
Cucumbers ...10 
Egg plant ... 6 
Endive ..,..10 
Kale ... 5 
Kentucky bluegrass . 1-2 
Kohlrabi . 5 
Leeks . 3 
Lettuce . 5 
Millet . 6 
Muskmelon . 5 
Seed Years 
Mustard ... 4 
Okra . 5 
Onions . 2-5 
Orchard grass . 2-3 
Parsley . 3 
Parsnip .. 2 
Peas . 3 
Pumpkin . 5 
Pepper . 4 
Radish . 5 
Red clover ..6-8 
Red top . 6 
Rhubarb . 3 
Salsify . 2 
Spinach .. 5 
Squash . 5 
Timothy . 6 
Tomato . 4 
Turnip . 5 
Vetches .j. 3 
Watermelon . 5 
W T heat, oats, barley, rye, and 
other small grains. 1-2 
White clover . 2 
Under the dry climatic conditions of Colorado and other western 
states, many seeds may retain Mieir vitality muoh longer than given 
in the above table. 
I From the above discussion it will be seen that there are many 
factors which affect the vitality of seed. In the first place, the vigor 
and longevity of seeds are specific, varietal characters, determined by 
heredity; and in the second place, the vigor and longevity of seeds are 
influenced markedly by the environmental conditions prevailing dur¬ 
ing the growth of the plant, particularly during the period of matur¬ 
ing, and to conditions which obtain while they are in storage. 
These facts simply emphasize the urgent necessitv of testing seeds 
before placing them in the soil. 
Standards of Purity and Germination. —The following table 
'< shows the standards of purity and germination of a number of 
common garden and field seeds; it is taken from the Yearbook 
of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, 1896. These standards 
have no legal status; the Colorado Pure Seed Law sets no stand¬ 
ard. The table is included to give one some idea of what is con¬ 
sidered good seed, so that he may have a basis of comparison by which 
to judge of the quality of any lot of seed: 
