340 TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY REPORT. 
Corn which was kiln-dried before planting had greater value for 
seed purposes than the best selected corn of the same variety from 
the crib. This drying is preferably done some time before planting. 
The percentage of germinations is greater and the plants themselves 
were more vigorous. It was rather curious that this difference only 
showed in the field. There were two lots of 500 seeds each, one of 
which had been dried over a radiator and the other was fresh from 
the crib. When tested in the seed germinator both lots gave the 
same result, 94 per ct. of germinations, but when planted in the 
open ground the kiln-dried corn gave 80 per ct. of vegetation, while 
the corn from the crib gave but 20 per ct. of vegetation. This ex- 
periment was carried through several years with results which al- 
ways pointed in the same direction. 
Unfortunately this line of investigation seems to have been drop- 
ped and seeds of other plants were not tested in a similar manner. 
If the percentage of moisture in seeds at the time when planted in- 
fluences the germinative and vegetative vigor of the plant it seems 
possible that to this cause may be credited the variable results se- 
_ cured from seeds of the same age and apparently similar condition. 
It was found that the portion of the plant on which the seed was 
borne seemed in some cases to have an influence on the resulting 
seedlings. In Red Top Strap-Leaf turnip the seeds from the ter- 
minal blooms were distinctly larger than those from the lower 
branches. Sunflower seeds “taken from axillary flowers had nar- 
rower leaves and were of a lighter green than plants from seeds 
taken from terminal flowers.” Sorghum seed which ripens from the 
summit downward sprouted more plants from the terminal seed 
than from the central or lower portion of the head. | 
This experiment was later repeated with three varieties of turnips 
with similar results. With cabbages, however, the results were 
wholly negative, no differences appearing between the seedlings pro- 
duced by seed from different parts of the plant. 
Certain plants furnish seeds of two different colors. Cases in 
point amongst the vegetables are endive, broccoli, brussels sprouts, 
collards, salsify, cabbage and kale. Seed was taken from all these 
plants and the light colored divided from the dark colored. It was 
found in every instance that the dark. colored seeds were heavier 
than the light colored seeds from the same plant. When planted the 
dark colored seeds gave generally a higher percentage of germina- 
tions than those of the lighter shade. 
Tests showed that a seed will stand repeated drying daring the 
