The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-03-31
VELVET BEAN SEED

It is important that all velvet bean
seed should be tested for termination
this year before planting: The early
frosts of last October and November
Injured large amount of the seed be.
fore it was ripe. AS a result, there is
likely to be shriveled and immature
seed put on the market this spring.
Under exceptionally favorable condi-
tons some of this shriveled seed will
terminate. Under ordinary field con-
ditions only a small percentage of it
is likely to grow. Those injured
seeds that do terminate and grow
cannot produce strong and healthy
plants. They yield small and sickly
plants that are unable to combat sue
cessfully with any adverse conditions.
Take any shallow box, which need
not be more than three inches deep,
two feet long, or one and a half feet
wide. This will be large enough to
hold about 500 velvet beans. Place
about two inches of sand in the box.
Then count some 500 velvet beans.
Distribute them evenly over the sur
face of the sand, and cover the seeds
with sand to a depth of about an
inch. MOisten the sand thoroughly
Set the box in a warm sunny place.
1t should be looked at every day to
see that the sand is kept moist, but
not soaked with water. Ten days
after placing the seed in the box,
count all that have sprouted. Divide
100 times the number of sprouted seed
by the number of seeds placed in the
box, the quOtient will be the percent
age of termination. For instances,
if 500 seeds are placed in the box and
300 terminate, divide 5000 by 500
the quOtient is so, or 60 per cent. of
the seed terminated.
When taking the samples of 500
seeds to put in the tester. care should
be taken to get a uniform sample from
the bulk Of seed to be tested That
is, dc not choose only large, plump
seeds, but take them as they come,
broken, shriveled, or immature.
The testing of the seed before plant
ing may mean the difference between
the failure and success of the crop. 1t
will save the extra labor Of replanting
AC 1u1Io roOIaptipor ic not oot;ceoo
tory. because if the land is not pillow
ed before replanting, it gives the
weeds the start of the crop. If only
the missing places are filled in, the
crop is uneven in growth; while if the
missing places are not filled in, full
crop will be secured.
The results of testing 1000 velvet
bean seeds at the experimental sta
ton, taken just as they came from the
huller, gave 58.3 per cent. termination
The sample included broken, shrivel-
ed, immature, and also good plump
seeds. OF 1000 seeds placed in the
tester, $50 or 5S.3 per cent terminated
and made strong healthy plants. A
further small percentage terminated
but soon died Had this seed been re-
planted, and all broken and shriyeled
seed thrown out, the percentage of
termination would have been consid-
erably greater.
A test of 500 shriveled and imma-
ture seed showed that only 215, or 43
per cent. terminated, and these for
the most part weak plants.
Velvet bean seed that shows less
than so per cent. termination should
not be used Seed that shows from
so to 80 per cent. termination and
gives that amount of strong healthy
seedlings should be recleaned, throw
ing out all faulty seed. If that seems
impracticable, 80 to 40 per cent more
seed to the acre should be planted.
JOHN NJ. SCOTT,
U. of F. Experimental Station.