The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-04-20
Testing Seeds.

Wnen a farmer prepares MS SOIL with
care and manures and fertilizeS 1t with
liberality, and sows his seed and then
waits in vain for the harvest of his hopes,
his loss is a very serious one, but yet ono
to be borne with patience and equanim-
ity if the loss is due to events which are
unavoidable and uncomfortable, as when
the season is too dry or storms lay his
crop low. But when he finds his losses
to be due to poor, imperfect or worth
less seed, put upon him unawares by a
careless or dishonest dealer, then, if ever,t
there is a time when man "does we'll
to be angry and to lose patience, this
may perhaps be considered, justly, as
such time. And such occasions are
neither few nor far between. But per-
haps some unsympathizing person may
say why does not the purchaser of the
seed look outfor himself. Cdvedt emptor
is maxim of the law and a settled prin-
ciple of jurisprudence. 1t means 1.-THE
buyer must look out for himself.n But
all the general principles, even of ''cold
blooded law" are moderated and modi-
fed by circumstances, and so is this.
For 1T is an equally settled principle that
when a seller makes a representation to
a purchaser, either by actual words or
by the customs of ordinary trade, he is
bound by them, and the purchaser is not
bound to take any unusual precautions
to secure himself. When one goes to
grocery store and asks for a pound of
butter or of sugar he is not bound to an
alyze what he receives, and if he finds
that he has got oleomargarne, or suine,
in place of butter, and there is sand in
the sugar, he has his legal remedy be-
cause he has been swindled So when
he purchases cabbage-seed or sweet
corn, and he finds them to be dead and
worthless, or not of the kind he asked
for, he has his remedy, too. Unfortu-
nately, it is very poor and upsatisfac-
tory one, being merely the return of his
money, and no recompense for his
wasted time, or lost crop, or use of the
ground.
And therefore it is that the farmer
who buys seed must look out for himself
with the greatest care, for, as is usual,
"he has to pay for all, even in this case,
as in everything else in the world, being
sort of multifarious Atlas, with tho
whole world on his shoulders and look
ing to him for its support. This is very
seasonable time for a consideration of
this subject, because nearly every farmer
is thinking of buying seeds soon for his
spring sowings and paintings. And the
sooner the better, because the sooner the
seeds are procured the sooner they can
be tested in good time, so that if found
worthless they may be returned and re-
placed. 1t is provision in the hands of
every man, and if it were exercised gen.
orally the business of selling old, dead
and adulterated seeds would very soon
come to an end. What becomes of all
the old seeds left over from year to year
unsold? From circumstances which
come to light occasionally we can
scarcely believe they are burned as they
should be, because it is very well known
that seeds very quickly lose their vitality
and become useless. Some seeds are
worthless the second year, and all very
rapidly deteriorate, producing, when
they do terminate, weak plants, which
may soon die or. if they live, are I'M
productive; or in the case of biennial
plants, as carrot or cabbage, they are
apt to run to seed the same year they are
Sown.
But we must hasten to explain how
seed may be tested. There are several
methods, and it is well that more than
one should be tried First, selection
should be made from the seed itself A
pinch should be taken from here and
there out of the lot and mixed together
in the hand. One hundred or any less
number of seeds are then set apart out
of these for trial. OF these ten are takeR
for duplicate trial. This is made in
soil. A shallow box, as soap box, is
filled with fine soil, leveled and smoothed
over. A narrow line is made by pressing
the edge of thin lath in the soil, and
the ten seeds are dropped into this row
one inch apart and covered. A small
marked stick is put at the end of the
row. A memorandum is kept of the
date of the sowing. The box is put in
suitable place and the soil kept moist by
regular waterings. 1t is watched closely,
and by and by the spires win appear
above the surface. 1t will be matter
of interest to note each morning the
growth of the previous day and night.
When sufficient time has elapsed the
result may be noted in full. What is a
sufficient time can hardly be certain. OF
some new varieties of tomatoes we sowed
in pots month ago the young plants are
still appearing, while the majority have
been up two weeks. But it will be rarely
necessary to wait more than two weeks
to be sure of the proportionate goodness
of the seed thus sown! But while this
TESTS in progress the otheris made. This
is to spread piece of dark wooden cloth
folded in a dish, and between the folds
to spread the other ninety seeds. These
are the small seeds; of larger ones, as
peas or corn, ten or twenty may be used.
The dish is keptin warm place and the
cloth kept moist or even wet. Or layer
of sand may be placed in the dish and
mofstened and the wet cloth laid over it
to keep the surface-upon which the
seeds are laid, but not covered moist.
Large seeds may be sprouted in cup
with water enough TO cover them, or in
saucers or shallow plates. The result
will be unquestionable.- SteUdTt.
THE MARKETS.