The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-08-22
Termination of Seeds.

seeds Il taken from i Iattci on liS
subject by Prof. ". j. Beal, OF
Michigan Agricultural Coilege.wh
has furnished H. 4 copy:
TO terminate. seed r,qalrc air
or oxygen Of the air. 4 certain
mount of moisture amt warmth.
or a certain temperature. II either
of these IS not within certain limits
seeds will not grow. The presence
or absence of light is little lmpor-
lance. In terminating. a seed
loses some Its materials. 1t alb
serbs moisture, but If the materl-
ais Of the dry seed, one-half may
be converted into water and carbon
dioxide. The seed terminates and
lives on It's OWL resources until 1T
begins to form chlorophyll. After
it is once started the young plant
sometimes grows faster by day, and
sometimes grows faster By night.
1t cannot grow but a little time.
however. without some daylight.
VI st seed may be dried and kept
without injury for variable length
of time. Some, however. Will not
grow if once they become quite dry.
Among these are seeds Of the chest
nut. horse-chestnut. willow, coffee.
Gardeners would not usually
SOW seeds Of onions or parsnips If
they knew them to be more than
one wear old. Some of them might
grow,-all of them might grow on
certain seasons, but probably most
of them would fail or would produce
feeble plants. Whether seeds re-
tam their vitality for 4 longer or
IA 81 orter time depends much on
the manner of cleaning and keeping
them. The temperature Shonld not
vary too suddenly. Seed catalogues
sometimes state the time 1t is safe
to keep each variety Of seed and
still be quite sure it will gcrminate.
For two years, they usually give
pepper, carrot, eggplant, satisfy:
for three years, asparagus. lettuce,
radish; for four years, caulltlower.
cabbage, celery, turnid; for IA long
er length 0 time, beets, cucumbers,
melons, s~quashes, tomatoes.
1.-The above IS given as rs ii
guide IN keeping dry seeds. If
buried IN moist earth, some seeds
VIII keep for many years without
losing their vitality. Accurate eX-
perimenty are wanting to settle the
time Of keeping seeds IN this man
ner. | have known seeds Of red
clover and of certain weed to keel
for a dozen Years or more when SIX
inches or more below the surface OF
the soil. In some recorded expert
ments, seeds of wheat, rye and chess
failed to grow when they had beer
kept dry for 1S5 years. When kept
for GO years, seeds of the sensitive
plant and some other leguminou.
plants have been known to grow
Lindley says the seeds of melon.
have been known to grow at the
age Of 40 years, kidney beans at 100
and rye at 40. Londet and Haberr
landt, in 1861, found that seeds o
whea-, rye, barley, oats, and maize
would not grow if they had beer
kept for ten years; at least these
seeds did not terminate in the ex
periments they tried.
"Weak seeds produce veal
plants. The seeds may be weak OF
account Of small size, or becaus,
they are immature when gathered
or because their vitality had beel
impaired by keeping a long time
after they were gathered, or b,
keeping them in an improper place
as to moisture, or great extreme
Of heat and cold. Most seeds vii
grow if they 7 not fully ripe, Il
most farmers know is the case Will
corn and wheat. As a rule, tn,
feeblest specimens of a lot Of seed
ling ornamental plants are mos
likely to produce the choicest flow
ers. This is true in case Of balsamS
primroses, and many other.
"Light seeds sprout quicker, bu
produce weaker plants. Prof
Church, of the Royal Agriculture
College, England, found: Tha
seed-wheat Of the greatest densit
produced the densest seed and Weld
/ the greatest amount of dresscC
grain. The seed-wheat of medium
density generally gives the larges
number OF ears are poorer thai
those of the densest seed. Seeds 0
medium density also produce til
largest number Of fruiting plants
The densest grains are not AWAY
the largest.
2 The proper depth for plant
ing seeds depends on the texture 0
the soil and the state of the weathe
! or the climate IN which they are t
grow. No fixed universal rule ca