High Vitality Seed Must Be Planted To Secure A Good Stand 
Kilgore's Bred-Rite Seeds Are Now Air-Conditioned. 
This Means Higher Vitality, Better Germination and Stronger Plants. 
The Kilgore Seed Company, the leader in all new things 
pertaining to seeds, has installed in its central warehouse at 
Plant City, Florida, the most up-to-date dehumidifying ma¬ 
chinery in order to maintain high vitality in all its seeds. 
A seed is a living organism and must be dealt with as such 
if good results are to be obtained when planted under favor¬ 
able conditions. Seeds, like other living organisms, respire or 
breathe. Experiments show that seeds kept in a humid at¬ 
mosphere, with high temperature, absorb moisture, and 
respire or breathe rapidly, which means they use up their 
vital energy. With high moisture content in the seeds, the 
higher the temperature the greater the respiration, and the 
quicker the loss of vitality of the seeds. By reducing the 
water content of seeds, respiration is reduced and vitality is 
conserved and greatly prolonged. 
Our experiments show that moisture has a more important 
bearing on respiration in seeds than has temperature, thus, 
if excess moisture is controlled, and if the seeds are kept in 
a dry atmosphere, respiration will be reduced and the vi¬ 
tality of the seeds will be retained and life is greatly pro¬ 
longed. Our experiments have shown further that if the seed 
is dry, it requires a very long period of high temperature 
to cause injury. 
Our tests show further that seeds kept in cold storage, or 
in cold climates, where humidity cannot be lowered suffi¬ 
ciently, absorb a considerable quantity of moisture. When 
these seeds, high in moisture content, are then brought out of 
cold storage, or from the cold climates and are subjected to 
ordinary conditions of high humidity and high temperature, 
they go down in germination rapidly. It is true that the 
respiratory activities in the seeds are much reduced in low 
temperatures, and the vital energy of the seed is thus con¬ 
served, but when the seed is 
taken out of cold storage in¬ 
to hot, humid climates, the 
greater amount of reserve 
energy in these seeds causes a 
more vigorous activity with¬ 
in the seed cells, and the 
seeds go down in vitality 
much more rapidly than if 
they had not been kept in 
cold storage or in cold cli¬ 
mates. Our experiments show 
that in partially drying 
seeds, the opposite effect is 
apparent, that is, it take a 
longer time for the seeds to 
absorb moisture from the at¬ 
mosphere than otherwise, due 
to the contracting of the seed 
coats. However, when this 
dry seed is planted in moist 
soil it absorbs moisture rap¬ 
idly and germination is ac¬ 
celerated because of the con¬ 
served vitality of the dry 
seeds. 
The relative humidity in 
Kilgore’s new Dehumidified 
Warehouse is maintained 
uniformly at 50 per cent, 
whereas, outside conditions 
during the summer months 
the relative humidity ranges 
from 75 to 95 per cent. In 
similar manner, the tempera¬ 
ture in the warehouse is 
maintained uniformly at 80 
degrees whereas in ordinary storage it ranges from 80 to 98 
degrees in summer. This efficient dehumidifying equipment 
has been installed by The Kilgore Seed Company as the 
result of experiments conducted in their warehouse and 
laboratory during the past five years. 
This dehumidifier insures our customers against getting 
seeds which go down in germination rapidly, or seeds in a 
weakened condition, that will not give a rapid germination or 
good stand when planted. Seeds kept in open storage absorb 
excessive moisture, which moisture, especially in periods of 
high temperature, causes the life processes in the seeds to go 
on at a very rapid rate. This devitalizes the seeds, and thus 
prevents rapid, strong germination, and causes the produc¬ 
tion of small weak seedlings. Seeds in open storage, or cold 
storage, due to absorption of moisture, gain in weight, so 
that when you purchase Kilgore’s Bred-Rite Air Conditioned 
Seeds, from which the excess moisture has been removed in 
order to retain the high vitality of the seeds, you will get 
more seeds in a pound, due to the fact that they weigh less, 
being devoid of excess moisture, and in addition, they are in 
better condition for planting. Our improved storage facili¬ 
ties prolong the vitality of Kilgore’s Bred-Rite seeds, and 
also insure the production of more vigorous seedlings. This 
additional service is provided to give you in Kilgore’s Bred- 
Rite Air Conditioned seeds, more and better seeds for your 
money. 
In addition to keeping our seeds in artificially dried store¬ 
rooms, we have one of the most up-to-date seed testing lab¬ 
oratories where samples of all of our seed stocks are tested 
at regular intervals to further insure our customers 
against planting low vitality seeds. In our laboratory, tests 
are made every six weeks of all seed stocks in our warehouse, 
mail order department and our nineteen distributing points. 
A close up view of one of our seed testers. In these testing machines germination tests are 
made in the laboratory under ideal conditions. We make corresponding tests in the soil so 
that we know at all times the correct germination of all seed stocks we have on hand. Seed 
stocks that are found to be falling in germination and will soon be too low to give a 
good stand, are immediately removed from our warehouse and distributing plants and 
are destroyed. 
General Offices and Mail Order Department, Plant City, Florida 
39 
