The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-02-01
TEST HOME GARDEN SEEDS.
Rag Doll" Offers an Easy, Con-
venient. and Sure Method.

The earliest garden seed catalogues
and the seed reporting agencies of the
government agree that the home gar
lener viii find almost everything he
goes To bnv this year both scarce and
dear. While the scarcity win not be as
acute as it was last year, there has been
no material drop in prices, except for
few of the sort of seeds of which not
many are wanted in the garden. A few
tools and implements arc 4 little cheap
er than last year and some are dcarer.
but for the most part prices rule about
the same. The Scent seed packet has
all but disappeared and a great many
of the old time scent pae kcts are now
-. OF course. the person who buys
seed ~ the packet is not going to in
vest enough 10 make an advance of
300 per cent. Il very serious matter, but
that rise, added 10 the other costs.
helps materially to kill the profits of
the garden
With seeds and all the other rcqui-
sites of tho home garden dear and
scarce. il becomes all the more impor-
tant that the gardener should be sure
that he is getting good seed that will
-l'8s anu NfiEit - OliN WIT WHY III
know whether one is getting good seed
and that is to test them. and the time
! 10 test them is before they are planted.
OF course the seedsmen give no guar
antees. 'cxpresed or implied" that the
seeds they sell will grow. or if they do
grow that they win produce the plants
/ they arc labeled to produce, but IL the
buyer can prove to an honest seeds
man that he has sold him infertile
seed. he can usually get his maney
back. To wait till The sun and rains of
spring have proved the worthlessness
of seeds is a slow and expensive proc
ess. The gardener not only loses his
time and labor but his crop. and he
may not le able to buy fresh seed by
that time
There are many seed testing devices
on >the market. but few of them ar,
suited in size or price to the home gar
dener S needs, and none is more efficient
than the rag doll tester that any on,
can make with the aid of the family
rag bag. Here is how it is made ant
used, as described by the department
of agriculture, which recommends il.
The cheapest material which has civ
: en- eptire satisfaction Is blcached mus
? lin. The muslin should be cut int
strips l6 inches wide and from . to
feet long. With a pencil or erayor
draw q line down the center OF tn
!. strip. Leaving at least inches a
e the ends, mark the strip crosswise cy
$ cry inches, numbering the section.
: Mosten the Jester before putting til
Il seeds upon it. Number the packets ar.
a; place them in definite order Fror
d No. take ont ten seeds and place thel
s in section No. l. Similarly. take te
II from No. .. place them in section n,
|, =, and continue in this manner unit
G every section of the tester has bee
r filed Care should l.a taken to plac
r he seeds some distance from the d
$ viding lines so that slight displae
II ments caused by handling the test,
will not mix the samples. Fold eac
side of the tester over. so that Il
Is edges meet in the middle. Press Il
rs cloth down firmly over the seeds. an
rs using a corn cob or some other evil
\. idrical object as a core, roll up the ties
ii CT. Tie a cord or slip rabber bar
re- aoiind the middle, and the doll is cor
$. Iplete.
IL nv ubilS SnbNlu Dt iHoFult1iiiN u
st mcrsed IN lukewarm water. From tv
or to four hours have been found sut
he Gent for the soaking, and it is be
be NOT to soak for moro than ten hour
ne Remove the dolls from the water. /;
in low them to drain, and place the
til where they may be kept warm n
w moist. During the termination peri
the dolls should not he subjected 10
temperature higher than 100 degrc
or lower than 30 degrees. A temper
to ture of q warm living room during t
day and 80 and so degees durin9 t
night win give good results. 1t is n
advisable TO give the dolls seco
at- soaking. good way to prevent dl
le- ing is TO wrap them up in piece
wet saeking or put them upright in
W. ordinary water bucket and cover th'
with a wet cloth. In either case, p
80