St. Paul daily globe., 1889-03-07
FROZEN SEED.
How 1t Will Do as Seed, as Re
suit of Recent Experiments.

How 1t Will Do as Seed, as Re
suit of Recent Experiments.
AT the State experimental farm, near
st. Paul and Minneapolis, experiments
have been conducted to test the germi-
mating power Of frozen wheat. If the
freezing was simply sufficient to pre-
vent the ascent of sap to mature the
grain to ripeness, the shriveling conse-
Quent thereon would not prevent ger
mination. 1t is we'll known that
seed very much shrunken will
germinate, and, if it get firm root,
Indian corn, piucked when in the soft,
milky state, if carefully dried, makes
seed that terminates quickly, and with
fair certainty. Hence, i'll all district,
north, that was subject to the summer
freeze. farmers may test the germinat-
ing qualities of the grain for themselves.
If 100 grains are placed between folds
of flannel cloths, kept constantly moist,
and at temperature between As and so
deg-and not over the latter-the num-
Der of grains that germiuate in two
weeks will determine the percentage of
growth.
Wheat terminates. as shown by eX-
pertinent, at Al deg. Fahrenheit as the
lowest temperature, and so continues to
germinate, up to a temperature of 104
deg: as the highest. 1t terminates most
rapidly at so deg. but the lower the
temperature the slower the germina-
ton; and this rule holds good through
the period of growth. At mean
temperature of SO deg. wheat has been
found to mature in 1877 days, but with a
mean temperature of Sc deg. it was
found that the full ripening required
160 days.
We make these statements from the
fact that we have adviceS from st. Paul
of the tests made as stated in the begin
ming of this article. In the dispatch it
is mentioned that the experimental
farm was visited on Jan. 81 by State
Grain Inspector James, Deputy Chief
Inspector Clausen, Mr.. Wellman, of
Frazer City, and one of the leading
farmers of Dakota. About thirty sam,
pies of frozen or frosted wheat of all
grades, from about No. down
to the poorest sort of shriveled,
shrunken, frozen grain, have been en-
plOyed for the tests. Fifty seeds of each
were selected and planted, and are
growing in the greenhouses. Each sam
pie is labeled, and account is taken of
the proportion of seeds in each class
that germinate and grow. The visitors
found this proportion large. Some of
the seeds were about the next thing to
mere chatf, and yet many of them have
sprouted, and, as rule, seem to be
having healthy growth. The stalks
are now six or eight inches high, and
some of them are stooling out.
The statement does not give details of
the experiments, as to temperature, etc.
The presumption is. however, that a
\ of
to conform as nearly as possible to the
natural conditions in outdoor spring
termination. If this is true the tests
will be of great value in all the
shrunken-wheat region of the North
west. We notice that it is questioned
whether the wheat will ultimately pro-
duce a crop. If the plants live until
the roots get fair hold of the soil,
there will no longer be dependence
upon the seed, and the growth will GO
on normally, though it is probable that
the growth of the straw may be some.
what less rank than that from fully
matured seed.