Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-04-03
TESTING The SEEDS.
EXPERIMENTS TO BE MADE AT THE
PAN-AMERICAN.
Exhibit of the Division of Botany
of the United States Department of
Agriculture Will Deeply Interest
Agriculturists.

interested in the exhibit of the Divis-
ion of Botany of the United States De-
partment OF Agriculture at the Pan
American Exposition, as it relates to
one of the first essentials of his calling.
The exhibit will be restricted to only
one of the numerous lines of work con
Quoted by the Division of Botany
namely, pure seed Investigations. 1t
will represent the work of the Seed
Laboratory at the Department of Ag-
r~iculture, where samples of all seeds
distributed by the Government are
now carefully tested for purity, ger
minability and freedom from seeds OF
noxious weeds. Thousands of samples
from farmers and seedmen in all parts
Of the country are also tested at this
laboratory. The work is of special in
terest to farmers, gardeners, seedsmen
and experiment station workers, to
whom the subject Of pure seeds is of
vital Importance. The Seed Laboratory
of the Department OF Agriculture is
well recognized as the most important
seed testing station in America. It's
methods, standards and most import
ant pieces of apparatus have been
adopted for seed testing at many of
the State experiment stations. The
methods now in use and many of the
instruments and larger pieces of ap-
paratus have been devised and perfect
ed by the men in chars. to meet the
necessities or the work.
On entering the space devoted to
this exhibit at the left of the main
aisle one sees first in a glass case a
purity separating table, with magui-
flying glass, forceps and other tools
used by experts in separating a sam
pie of commercial seed into its COM
ponent parts of pure seed, chaff, sand
and other foreign matter and weed
seeds. Next is a pair of fine balances,
on which samples are weighed. all
percentages in seed purity tests being
based upon weight. Beyond the
scales is a new combined mixer and
sampler. In this a quantity of seeds
is quickly mixed and a sample of the
desired amount delivered which will
fairly represent the entire lot. One
of the most attractive pieces of ap-
.aratus used in purity testing is the
blast impurity separator, which is al
a new device. The air blast is fur
nished by a modern blower driven by
an electric motor. The device itself,
however, in which the separation of
chaff and lighter impurities from seed
is performed through the action OF an
air current, consists of a simple bent
glass tube connected with a receiver.
Actual termination tests will be
on at the Exposition as in the
Seed Laboratory at Washington.
seeds will be counted, ar
ranged in folded blue blotters. mois-
tened and placed In the standard ger
minating chamber, where they will be
kept at fixed temperatures favorable
to termination. Check termination
tests. such as are employed in con-
Quoting tests with many kinds of
seeds, will be made in sterilized sand
and soil in greenhouse flats" The
number terminating each day for a
definite period in eacn of the tests
will be noted and the percentage Of
termination thus computed.
Many weeds the seeds OF which are
most frequently found as impurities in
commercial seeds are represented by
living plants, labeled with the names
by which they should be designated by
English speaking people wherever
found. A unique feature is an exhibit
Of seeds of many of these weeds and
also several kinds of commercial seeds
arranged under forty magnifying
glasses, accompanied by seeds of the
same kinds in open dishes, so that
one may readily compare the magnified
impression with the actual seed and
note differences and distinctive char
that would not appear to the
unaided eye.
The results and importance Of seed
are graphically represented by
groups of glass tubes contain
ing different kinds of commercial
seeds. These show the ordinary com
mercial seed, the amount Of pure seed
to name in the sample and the
amount Of inert matter, such as chaff.
sticks and sand, the proportion Of
weed seeds and finally the amount OF
germinable seeds true to name. as de-
termined by test Of similar sample and
the proportion of waste. A comparison
of these last two indicates how much
is often paid for waste in buying un-
and poorly cleaned seeds.
Commercial seed growing is shown
by Photographic illustrations of some
of the largest seed farms in California,
where the production OF garden seeds
has reached its highest development
in this country,