New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 373 
by the moisture in the soil and for the chemical and other changes 
necessary to cause germination. 
Second. That the larger amount of dry matter contained in the 
large seed after it becomes converted into available food for the 
young plants furnishes them with greater power to overcome any 
adverse condition attending vegetation, transmitting to the plant a 
more vigorous constitution and furnishing a greater resistive power 
to the diseases attacking the plant. 
Third. That the number of seeds germinating or vegetating in 
the first few days is not a correct measure of the vitality of the 
seed as has been shown in the two sets of seed of the same variety 
but of different size. 
Fourth. That were it possible to select large and small seed of 
the same vitality it is probable that the small seed would give a 
larger number of germinations in the first period of seven days 
which might be thought to indicate a greater vitality and germi- 
nating power for the small seed, whereas in the end the large seed 
might give the same or a greater number of plants of more vigorous 
growth. 
_ Fifth. That from these experiments it would seem advisable in 
testing the germinating power of seeds from different sources to 
take into consideration the weight of the seed as well as their ages 
